Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
by ShafferTheFirst
Summary: Justin wins the competition, Alex and Mason decide to run away. 5 years later, they have a daughter who doesn't know anything about magic or the other Russo's. Alex fears they will be discovered and forced to separate if she comes in contact with them.
1. Happily Ever After

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 1- Happily Ever After_

**Alex's POV**

I wasn't going to give Mason up that easily. I had worked too hard trying to catch up to my brothers to throw it all away. I was shocked when Justin won. Heartbroken. But I wasn't ready to let it slip away. So that night, I packed up all my most valuble things. While Justin and everyone else celebrated, Mason and I made our escape. The last thing my family ever heard from me, was a simple note:

_Mom, Dad, Justin, Harper, and Max,_

_I'm sorry, but I just can't be without Mason. He can't be without me. By the time you read this, we will already be long gone. Don't worry. Mason has enough saved up from over the years to provide for us. I'm not a kid anymore. This is the path I have chosen, and this will be the last you ever hear from me. Just know that I love you all so much. Thank you for making me who I am today._

_Harper- thank you for being the best friend I've ever had. I hope you still stick around here. You always did lighten the mood. Take care of Mom and Dad for me._

_Justin- Congrats on your powers. You earned them._

_Max- try not to do anything too stupid. Seriously. And, stay as lively and cheerful as you are._

_Alex_

As much as it hurt me to write that, I knew that I would be much happier with Mason. And, I was. We found a nice apartment with plenty of room for both of us. We made plenty of money selling our artwork, plus the four-hundred years worth of savings from Mason's time. We had a very small wedding not long afterwards. It was small, just the two of us, no one else, but it was offical. Things were quiet, but we didn't mind. We were happily in love. I proudly sign my paintings as _Alex Graybeck_, or , or just _AG_. I can't help but smile at that.

At only a year later, our apartment, well, _wasn't_ so quiet. On February 14th, Valentine's Day, I gave birth to our daughter: Leah Nicole Graybeck. A brown-eyed beauty with a head full of dark curls. If I do say so, she does resemble me more than she does Mason, but that didn't seem to bother him. She instantly had her daddy wrapped around her little finger.

Over the years, our little Leah's personality bloomed like a wild flower. She grew from a presicous pipsqueak to a very bubbly and talkative four-year-old. Genetics gave her my sneaky yet lovable personality, and Mason's kind and humorous trait. Her dark baby curls grew into long wavy locks, flowing like a waterfall down her back. She mimicked Mason's accent for a while, but grew out of it, much to my disapointment. I had always loved it when she did that; it made my day. Leah always maintained a dazzling smile that could lighten any room. Mason had joked for _years_ that she would be a little heartbreaker, just like her momma. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

As for wizardry and werewolf(ism?), Leah showed no sign of either. It wasn't until I was ten, did my powers come in, so that gave us a while on that. Mason had told me that he was twelve the first time he had phased. That didn't distract me from the fact that our daughter let out an occasional playful growl as she sat in the kitchen floor with her toys. Mason reasured me that it was perfectly normal.

Sure, we kept to ourselves most of the time, and had no relatives to talk to, but I was happy. I had a wonderful husband who makes me smile, and a bouncy little girl who keeps me sane and strong. What else could I ask for?

Yeah, I spoke too soon.

**XxXxX**

My eyes snapped open. I gasped. I breathed out as I rolled over to face my screaching alarm clock. I picked up the closest magazine from the floor, rolled it into a cylinder, and beat the snot out of the alarm until it shut up. I sighed and closed my eyes again. I was almost completely drifted back into sleep mode when-

"Momma! Momma!" A little voice sang from the foot of the bed. My eyes reopened to see my smiling daughter as she bounced up and down in her polka-dot pj's.

"Hey, Lovebug," I smiled, opening my blanket. She instantly crawled into my arms as I covered her up. We had nicknamed her "Lovebug" the minute she was born, due to her birth on Valentine's day. The name suited her very well; she was very lovable. I hugged her close as my eyes started to close again.

"Today's residrasdon day, Momma," she said solftly.

"Hmm?"

"Residrasdon day," she repeated, "it says so on the paper on the 'fridge."

"What paper?"

"The one on the fridge, Momma."

"Will you go get it for me?" I asked her.

"Okay," she replied. She scrambled off the bed. I watched my daughter scamper off to the kitchen in her pint-sized pajamas, the heads on her puppy slippers bobbing in all directions.

She marched back into the room and handed me a blue slip of paper. In bold letters across the top, it read: "PRE-SCHOOL REGISTRATION."

I instantly sat up. "Registration!" I exclaimed, smacking my forehead with the palm of my hand. "Oh man, I completely forgot!" I thought for a minute. "So, _that's_ what the alarm was for!" I turned to the oposite side of the bed, expecting to see Mason sleeping, but I was glancing at an empty bed.

"Daddy went to the studio," Leah informed me, sensing my alarm. I sighed in relief as I walked to my closet. She toddled after me.

"What time does it start?" I asked, throwing on a pair of dark skinny jeans.

"9:30AM," she read. I sighed as I looked at the clock, which was nine. It's times like these that I'm glad Mason had taught her to read at an early age instead of waiting until kindergarten like a normal parent. Well, we aren't really that normal of parents...

"Grab my converse, will you please, Leah?" I adjusted my gray cartigan. "The dark purple with white laces, not the blue ones."

Leah imidaitly started browsing through my mountain of shoe boxes, throwing different high tops every which way behind her as I brushed harshly through my sholder-length dark hair.

"What's this?" she questioned. I spun around and gasped. In my baby's hands was something I should've gotten rid of a _long_ time ago. Something that I didn't want her to know about until she positively had to know about. Something that I hoped to never see again. _My wand._

I snatched the red stick away from her. "It's nothing, sweetie," I said quickly. I looked at the time. "Go get dressed!"

"'Kay!" she laughed. She took off to her room. I realized that I had just given a _four-year-old_ permission to dress herself to go in _public._ "Nothing crazy!" I called after her.

I examined the red shiney wand in my hand. Old memories that I had stored away forever were now flooding back into my mind. Exactly what I _didn't _want to happen. Which is why I thought I had gotten rid of it. The usual color changing glow on the end was now as dull as a dead lightbulb, leaving me powerless. I sighed. I missed how much I used to rely on my powers to do _everything_ in my everyday life back in the day. Back when everything was simple. Back when every spell I did made me feel special. _Magical_ more like it. I shoved the memories to the back of my head and snatched my converse off the shelf.

**XxXxX**

I came down to the kitchen hoping on one foot, trying to tie my shoes. Leah seemed to get a kick out of that. She snickered at me as she poured more Captain Crunch into her already overflowing cereal bowl. I smiled at her. Then did a double take when I saw what she was wearing.

Leah had picked out a white shirt with "LOVE" written in red, pink leopard printed leggings that came to her ankles, a hot pink sparkly tutu, and black high tops with neon stripes. She paired the outfit with two Mardi Gra neclaces around her neck and a purple gumball machine ring on her finger. She proudly wore a silver headband with two green antennas from her butterfly costume last halloween on her head of messy hair. I sighed.

"Do you like my outfit, Momma?" she asked innocently. She gave me a baby grin and widened her shiney brown eyes as she smoothed out her tutu.

I smiled and rumfulled her hair. "Adorable," I told her.

Leah rolled her eyes. "What do I need to loose?" she demanded.

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Something's telling me that you don't think its very cute," she informed me, taking a bite of cereal, then a sip of milk from her cup. She doesn't like mixing them together, for some reason. I never got that. "Or you like it, but you want to fix it up," she added after swollowing.

I stared astonishly at my daughter. _How did she know that?_ I asked myself. I shrugged to myself. I'd have to worry about that later. Or, knowing me, I'd forget to. "I think I just need to fix your hair a bit." I picked up the brush that was ironically, but helpfully, on the counter.

"Okay, okay," she agreed. She blocked her hair as I reached for her. "But the antennas _stay._" she gave me a fake glare. I fake-glared back at her until she cracked. She can't stay serious for long, bless her little heart. I pulled the dark hair around her face back with bobby pins and straightened the bobbing antennas as much as I could. I looked down at her. I couldn't help but smile. I quicky snapped a picture of her with my phone. The opportunity was too cute to pass up. I texted the picture to Mason, captioning it as: _"Your daughter decided to pick out her own outfit for registration today... ;)"_. He instantly replied back: _"What a cutie:) have fun today!"_

I smiled and closed my phone, glancing at the clock on the screen, "Oh, crap!" I exclaimed, picking up my purse, "Hurry up, Baby! We're gonna be late!"

"But I'm not done!" She informed me, gesturing to the bowl of cereal in front of her.

"Eat it on the way," I ordered. She grabbed her hello kitty bowl as I put a lid on her cup. She laughed as we raced to the car.

**What do you think? :D**

**It's kinda boring right now, but i assure you, IT GETS BETTER.**

**review please? :)**


	2. A Chance Encounter

**Absense Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 2- A Chance Encounter_

_**Author's Note:**__ thank you all so much for feedback of Ch.1! I wasn't expecting y'all to like it as much as y'all did, so thanks:) ...that is all. _

**Justin's POV**

I turned off the radio as I climbed out of my car. I looked up at the building in front of me where parents were pulling their screaming children. Registration day. Nice. I, as principal of Byron Elementary, decided to meet some of the new pre-schoolers registering, incase some were nervous about starting school.

"Morning, Justin," Carol, one of the third grade teachers, greeted me as I walked in. "Did you have a good summer?"

"As a matter of fact I did," I replied. "How's that grand-baby of yours?"

The woman smiled. Misty, her granddaughter, was one of her favorite subjects. "Great, just great. She's crawling now, you know."

I smiled as I made my way to the pre-school registration section. I looked around. Dozens of young kids played happily in the plastic house area while tired parents chatted with teachers and signed papers. I started over to the plastic house, hoping to introduce myself. A plastic hamburger landed at my feet. I bent to pick it up, when I caught a glimpse of a pair of tiny black converse. I looked up. A young girl with familiar brown eyes and wavy dark hair was smiling at me. I glanced at her outfit: pink leggings, an unmatching shirt, a pink tutu, and silver and green antennas rested lopsidedly on her head.

"Hi!" she said instantly.

"Hi there," I smiled, offering her the burger, "What's your name?"

"Leah," she smiled.

"That's pretty. I'm Mr. Russo. Your principal." I smiled back at the tiny girl. I knew for a fact that I had seen her eyes from somewhere. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I mentally decided that I had seen her somewhere; I never forgot a face. "Can you tell me about yourself?"

Leah nodded and smiled a mile wide. Her antennas bobbed up and down every which way as she spoke, "Well my name's Leah Nicole Graybeck and my birfday's on Valentime's Day and I have a momma and a daddy that paint pretty pichers. I don't have any pets and I'm 'llergic to cats and my favorite color's purple. I don't have any gramparents or cousins of anything like that. I like the crust cut off my bread and-" she babbled on and on as I nodded and pretended to listen to every detail, until I caught on to _one_ word.

"What did you say your last name was?" I asked her, my voice cracking.

"Graybeck," she repeated. I winced at the familiarness in that name.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The four-year-old raised and eyebrow and gave me a skeptical smile. "is that your question?" she asked sarcastically, then laughed. Now _that_ was way too familiar.

"No. This is: What are your mommy and daddy's names?"

"Oh," she laughed, "That's an easy one. Mason and Alex, but the girl kind of Alex," she corrected, "Not the boy kind."

Suddenly, it all made sense. The familiar eyes, the crazy sense of fashion, the sarcasm, the _name_. I didn't know this girl. I knew her mother.

Before I could say another word, a _very_ familiar voice innterupted me.

"Leah! We're done! Let's go!" the voice called. I knew that voice.

"Gotta go! Nice meeting you, Mr. Russo!" Leah took off, dark hair and antennas flying in all directions. I turned around. A woman no older than twenty-five smiled and scooped her up on her hip. Leah hugged her neck, squeezing her as tight as possible. The woman's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. She hugged her back. I knew that woman. it was _my sister._

Alex hadn't changed much in five years. Her hair was shorter and had dark purple streaks here and there. She was about the same height, but slightly slimmer. She looked different, but happy.

My mind drifted back a few years, from when I last saw her. How hurt she was when I won the competiton. I remembered reading her goodbye note aloud to our parents. Mom cried her eyes out. Dad and Harper were both bawling for days. Even Max and I were tearing up. Although she and I did fight a lot, Alex somehow always managed to lighten the mood with her clever remarks and street smarts. I have to admit, I really missed her calling me names. The house was just to dull without her.

"Alex?" I asked as I hesitantly made my way through the crowd. Her head turned. She spotted me with frightened eyes. She muttered something under a breath. She clutched Leah tightly and skidded out of the building.

"Alex! Wait!" I started after her. She started sprinting when she got to the asphalt. I chased her around the parking lot, feeling like we were eight and six again, until she made it to her car. She set Leah in the backseat and climbed in. I stopped as she drove off.

"Alex," I said softly, completely out of breath.

**Alex's POV**

"Alex?" I heared a too familiar voice call. I scanned the room. I looked through the sea of people until is spotted a face looking at me. I gasped. It couldn't be. No. It just _couldn't._ He made his way through the crowd, heading towards Leah and I.

"This _isn't_ happening," I muttered to myself. I clutched Leah against my chest and walked quickly out of the building. I looked over my shoulder. He was _following me_. I burst into a sprint when I came to the parking lot. He did too. But I was faster, like always. I refused to let this happen. I quickly placed Leah in the backseat and dashed into the driver's side. I sped out of there as he stopped to take a breath.

"Momma!" Leah demanded. She reached from her booster seat and tapped my shoulder. "Momma, what happened?"

I took a deep breath, the previous event replaying in my mind. "Nothing, kiddo. I just thought we needed to hurry up before it got too crowded."

I watched her fold her arms over her chest in the mirror. "No. That's not what happened," she corrected me, "You saw somebody that you didn't want to see, so you ran outside and Mr. Russo chased you outside."

I pulled over and parked the car. I looked back at my daughter in complete astonishment. "How did you know who that was?"

"That's my principal, Momma. And he tried to stop you."

_Principal?_ I asked myself, _What are the freaking odds of that?_ I rested my head on the steering wheel. "Don't worry about it, Lovebug."

Leah sighed. She laid her head on the window, then froze. "Momma! My antennas! I think I left them!"

I stopped the car for the second time. "Are you kidding me?"

"No! I'm not kidding! They're in the parking lot! Momma I need my antennas!" She informed me, sounding completely serious.

"I'll get you new ones!" I guestered, _"Please,_ don't make me go back there!"

It took me a minute to realize that I was reasoning with a _four-year-old_. Little teardrops began to form in her eyes. "I want my antennas!" she cried. She kicked her little feet in the air, nowhere near my seat.

"I can't believe you're making me do this," I sighed, turning the car around. Leah gave me a dazzling smile and clapped her little hands. I had to give her props. That little number was proof that she was turning more like me every day.

I slowly eased my way back into the parking lot, searching both ways incase _he_ was still out there. I didn't see him. I decided it was safe and continued pulling in.

Leah instantly unlatched her seatbelt and scrambled out of the car. "I don't see them!" she pouted as she scanned the area. I caught a glimpse of something shiny and silver on the ground. I made my way over to it.

As I bent down to pick it up, a pair of dorky shoes approached me. I slowly looked up in horror. A kind familiar face smiled down at me. I gasped.

"Hello, Alex," He smiled.

"Hi, Justin," I replied solfty as i stood up.

"Its been a while." he said.

_**Review? :) I know this chapter kinda sucks, but it will get better SOON! :)**_


	3. What Could Happen?

**Absense Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 3- What Could Happen?_

_**Author's Note:**__ thank you guys so much for reading! I really wasn't expecting the reaction it got, especially since it's just something that I randomly started jottin' down during history ;) hope you like it! :D_

**Mason's POV**

I set my paintbrush down on the side table next to my stool. I took a step back to admire my work. My smile faded into a quizzical glance. I cocked my head to the left side, then to the right. I really had no clue what so ever of what my painting was supposed to be. I couldn't think of something to paint, so had I splattered random lines and spashes of color, hoping it would eventually turn out to look like something. So far, the plan failed. Not that it looked bad, whatever it was, but it had about the purpose of a white crayon.

As I studied my artwork, I felt my pocket vibrate. I picked up my phone and smiled.

"Hello, brown eyes," I smiled, expecting her usual response to that: _Hi, new British guy!_

"Hey," Alex replied oddly in a flat tone. By that, I knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong, love?" I asked her.

"Nothing.." she sighed.

"Oh it's something alright. I can hear it in your voice. What happened?"

I listened to complete silence for a moment, besides little Leah's sing-songy babbles from the background. Finally, Alex spoke up. "I saw Justin today," she said quickly.

_That_ was when my sense of alarm kicked in. "Really? Where? How?"

"Of course, with our luck, he just so happens to be Leah's principal."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Yes..." she sighed.

"Like?"

Alex explained everything that happened. The chasing around the parking lot, the antennas, the akward silence, everything.

"So, what's he expecting now?" I asked.

"Well, he said we need to catch up soon," she replied, "I made him _swear_ not to say anything to, um, _Mom and Dad,_ about Leah. He, he thinks I need to intoduce her myself."

I could hear in her voice how much it hurt her to bring up her parents. I could sense how much she missed them. It hurt me to see her that way. "What do you think?"

Alex's tone of voice softened, like she was sad. "I want to, really badly," she forced out.

"You know how risky that could be," I reminded her, then regretted saying it.

"I know, Mason. I know. That's why we ran away: so the wizard council could never find us. So we could stay together. And us coming back to my parents' place would increase the chances," her voice trailed off. I could feel how much it hurt her to think like that. It hurt me, too.

"I know, love."

"But I would really like to see them all again. To show them that I'm not well, _dead_ or anything. So they can see that we're just fine. I'd really like them to meet Leah, too. It hurts me to realize that she has never met her own family before, a lot. I just don't know how they'd react to her,"

"Alex-"

"But on the other hand, if we were to just stop by, I'd probably want to come back more often, so Leah could get used to everyone. She's already warming up to Justin, a lot faster than I was expecting. But if we were to go back more often-"

"The more likely we'd be discovered," I agreed.

"Right. And I probably wouldn't be able to make it if we were forced to separate! What would happen to Leah? Her whole life would be jacked up at not even five years into it!"

"And that's the _last_ thing I would ever want to happen. I'm not going to let somebody take my beautiful girls away from me. Ever."

"Thank you, Mason. That makes me feel a little more secure," I could feel her smiling. "But one question's been bugging me all day: If something were to ever happen to us, what would happen to Leah?"

To be honest, that thought had never crossed my mind. "Good question," was all I could respond.

"I mean, she'd have _nobody._ Literally. And I couldn't imagine my baby in some stranger's care!"

"And what would happen if her powers came in? Or if she phased into a werewolf? Whichever she may be. How could someone help her throgh that? She'd have no clue what was happening to her."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

"You know, maybe seeing your parents again isn't such a bad idea," I declared, "As long as we're not over there all the time."

"Yeah. That sounds like a good plan. For Leah."

"For Leah," I smiled.

"Well, we're almost home. Call me when you're on the way."

"Okay, I shouldn't be much longer."

"Great," she replied. "I love you."

I smiled. I loved the sound of her voice when she said that. "Love you, too." I replied. _Click_. The line went dead.

**Justin's POV**

I walked into the sub shop smiling later that day. I felt good inside.

"Hey, man!" Max called out from the register once he spotted me. His childish face lit up. I had to admit, I was pretty glad Max had taken a year off from collage. The shop wasn't the same without his randomness.

"Hey, Max," I smiled, patting him on the back.\, "Where's Mom and Dad?"

"Dad's right here, son!" Dad announced from the kitchen window, waving a piece of bolongna at me. He chucked to himself at his own joke, as usual. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

I could hear Mom's heels _clank-clunk_ down the spiral staircase. She entered as she flipped through a menu. "Jerry, add tomatoes to the grocery list, please. We're out and-" she paused when she spotted me. "Justin! When did you get here?" She asked excitedly as she rushed over. She hugged me tightly and kissed me on the cheek.

"Just now, Mom," I laughed, wiping it off, hoping that she wasn't wearing lipstick. "I have some news for everyone, that I think you'll be interested in." I looked around. "Is Harper here by chance? She might wana hear this too."

"Let me check," Dad replied. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "HARPER!" his voice boomed, making every customer jump.

Harper poked her head out of the subway cart, wearing a sailor's hat. Same old Harper. "Here!" she called. She scampered over to us.

"Okay Justin, tell us what your announcement is before I end up forgetting that I was supposed to be listening," Max informed me.

I stared blankly at my brother for a second, then shook my head. I took a deep breath. _"I saw Alex today."_

Everyone's jaws dropped instantly.

"You saw Alex?" Mom demanded.

"Did you talk to her?" Dad begged.

"Is she still with Mason?" Harper chimed in.

"Our sister named Alex?" Max asked.

Everyone coninued to blurt out different questions. I finally got to speak again. "Yes I saw Alex again. I did talk to her for a while. Yes, she's still with Mason, they're married now actually. And yes, Max, our sister named Alex."

"How'd you meet up with her?" Mom asked me.

"Well actually I was at work and-" I stopped, Alex's words ringing in my mind.

_"Please, Justin. Swear you won't say a thing about Leah."_

_"You don't want them to know about their OWN granddaughter?" _I had asked.

_"No, I want to be the one to tell them. One day."_

_"Alex-"_

_"Swear you won't, Justin."_

_"Fine. I swear."_

"Uh, you know, I can't quite put my finger on where exactly we met," I studdered, "But the important thing is: she's safe, she's happy, she's loved, and she's just fine."

"Oh my Mijah's okay!" Mom cried, happy tears welling up in her eyes. "Do you think we'll ever get to see her again?"

I smiled. "I'm sure you will. Soon." I smiled as my family and Harper danced happily in their own ways.

_**Well? What'd ja think? Leave a review, please! :)**_


	4. Don't Worry, Be Happy

**Absense Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 4- Don't Worry, Be Happy_

_**Author's Note: **__Thanks for reading! It means so much! ;) blah blah blah, same thing I say in every author's note, I know you're tired of hearing this, but I LOVE YOU ALL! :) now on with the story:D_

**Alex's POV**

Attempting to make dinner with a lot on your mind is pretty difficult. Especially if you can't cook to start with. Even more especially when you hear a blood-curddling scream from your little girl's room.

I jumped clean out of my skin, slammed the pot of pasta noodles on the counter, and raced to Leah's room. My heart was beating faster than I thought possible.

I swung open the door, too see my daughter sitting in the floor with her toys. I relaxed.

"Hi, Momma!" She smiled, waving innocently at me.

"Hi, Lovebug," I replied, "Why did you scream?"

"Oh!" she laughed, throwing her head back. She held up her yellow stuffed hippopotumus for me to see. "You see, the evil Dr. Hipp-hop created a science experiment which was supposed to give people super villian powers. But something went terribly wrong and he created a _mutant_ creature. A creature so ugly that it makes everyone scream when they see him! Dr. Hipp-hop called this creature-" she turned off her lamp and turned her flashlight under her chin, _"Willinato,"_ she said in a chilling voice as she showed me a plastic dinosaur that she had covered in torn-up stickers. I smirked at how dramatic she was.

"And why did you have to scream?" I asked.

"That wasn't me," she informed me. She held up a purple stuffed giraffe, "Dr. Hipp-hop was mad at Gizelle for not bringing him the magic rocks he asked for, so he sent _Willinato_ to scare her!"

I squatted down to her level. "So it was Gizelle who made me jump clean out of my skin," I declared, giving her a skeptical smile.

"Yep," she smiled. "And that's when Captain Franchesco comes in to save the day!" She gestured to her stuffed fox Mason had won her from the claw game at Chuck-E-Cheese. "Wana play, Momma?"

I rested my hands on my hips, "Now Leah, I'm right in the middle of making dinner." I paused, "Of _course_ I'll play with you!" Leah smiled and handed me her rainbow seahorse.

"You can be Ronald Rainbow, Captain Franchesco's sidekick!" She explained to me the point of the game, which she was making up as she went along. I smiled and played along. I was actually really into it when Mason called.

"Hi, new British guy," I smiled once I picked up the phone.

"Hello, brown eyes," He replied sweetly. "What are you up to?"

I grinned, "Well currently, I just helped Captain Franchesco save Princess Bea from the toy box of doom by distracting a mutant dinosaur named-" I imphasized just as Leah did before, _"Willinato!"_ I smirked down at Leah, who was happily brushing through her barbie's hair.

Mason laughed, "Sound's like you and Leah are having a great time."

My voice turned serious. "Leah's been watching tv in our room for the past hour." I informed him.

Mason had no response. I laughed. "Just kidding," I smiled. He laughed after finally catching on. Then his voice turned slightly serious.

"I think we have something to discuss with Leah when I get home." He informed me. I instantly got the message. I sighed.

"I think we do," I said quietly. "But I need to call Justin just to make sure."

"Alright. See you in about thirty minutes." I could hear in his voice that he was smiling. "I love you." He told me.

"I love you too." I smiled. I hung up and sighed. I stood up and started walking out of the room. "Sorry, sweetie. Momma's gotta make a quick phone call." I told her.

"That's okay," she told me. "Do you want me to wait for you?"

"No, it's fine. You keep playing. Princess Bea's not gonna save herself, you know." I quickly left the room and dialed my brother's number.

"Alex?" he answered on the first ring.

"No, Justin, it's Rumplestilskin," I replied sacastically.

"Nice. What's up?"

"Um," I began, "Do Mom and Dad have any plans tomorrow?"

"Probably not. The shop's closed on Sundays. Why?"

I hesitated, then answered, "I think I might pay them a visit."

Justin gasped, "Seriously?"

"Yes..?" I answered, sort of confused.

"I don't know if you realize how happy that will make everyone!" He announced.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, today I told them that I ran into you-"

"You what?" I interupted, "I _swear_ Justin if you said a _word_ about Leah, you're gonna be eating carpet the second I get there!"

"Relax, relax, I didn't say anything. As I _was_ saying, I told them I saw you and they all completely flipped out! They were so happy to know that you were okay."

"Well I can assure you that I'm just fine. Mason and I still need to talk this over. Even if we do visit," I sighed. "We won't be able to stay long."

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Justin," my voice trailed off. I could feel my heart begin to hurt again. I pushed the thoughts of what could go wrong to the back of my mind. "We just can't. Can we leave it at that?"

Justin started, but realized that I am just as stubborn as I was five years ago. "Okay. So, I'll...see you tomorrow?" he asked. I was about to reply, when I felt the phone slide right out of my hands.

"Hi, Uncle Justin!" a little voice sang. I yelped, then spun around to see Leah standing on the kitchen counter behind me, taking on my phone. _How in the world did she get there without me hearing her?_ I asked myself. Then I realized what she was doing.

_"Off the counter!"_ I snapped, still trying to lower my heart rate. She nodded and hopped off the counter, landing lightly on her feet. She toddled of to the other room. I followed.

"No, it's fine. I just scared Momma a little i think," she laughed into the phone. I watched her pace back and forth around the living room. "Yeah. It was funny."

"What was funny?" I asked. Leah held up her index finger as she concentrated on what he was saying.

"Really?" she laughed, "So _that's_ why Daddy says I'm just like Momma!" I scowled, wondering what my brother was telling her.

"Alrighty." she stopped. "I'll talk to you later then. I love you! Bye!" she shut my phone and placed it in my hand. I was amazed at how quickly she accepted Justin enough to already tell him she loved him. Oh well. She was just naturally accepting.

"What did he tell you?" I demanded.

"He asked why you screamed. I told him that I scared you. Then he told me that you used to scare him on purpose all the time when you were kids. Then he said he had to go."

I sighed as Mason swung open the front door. "I'm home!" he announced. "Anybody miss me?"

Leah immediatly jumped into his arms. "Daddy!" she squealed, hugging him as tight as her little arms could go.

"Oh, there's my little princess," he smiled as he scooped her up in his arms and spun her around. She squealed and laughed and threw her head back. I made my way over to the two of them.

"Hello, love," he smiled.

"Hey, you," I smiled back as I pulled him in for a kiss.

"Gross!" Leah exclaimed, shaking her head at us. Mason laughed and covered her eyes as he kissed me back.

"Ew! Quit it!" she cried, swatting his hand away. I laughed and pecked her on the cheek. I stole her from Mason and bounced her on my hip, enjoying her contaigous laugh. I set her on the ground. Mason leaned down to her level. "Leah, your Momma and I have something to talk to you about tonight." he informed her.

"Ooh! Am I getting a little brother?" she asked excitedly, jumping up and down.

"NO." Mason breathed out.

"No!" I replied quickly, "No. Gosh, no." I sighed.

"Oh," she said, sounding a little disapointed. She shook it off. "Where do babies come from?"

Mason and I exchanged glances. I slightly shook my head, only to a degree that he could notice it. He looked at Leah.

"Ebay," he impulsively blurted out. I elbowed him in the side.

"Oh." she replied. "So what's the news?"

"Go sit on the couch, honey," I told her. She nodded and walked off. I looked at Mason. _"Ebay? Seriously?"_ I demanded. He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and sat next to Leah. Mason settled in the armchair.

"You know who Justin is, right?" I asked her, knowing her answer.

"Yes."

"Who is he?"

"Your brother."

"That's right. And a brother is a part of a..." I guestered my hand in a circular motion.

"..Family?" she asked.

"Right," Mason smiled. "Speaking of family, did you know that Momma has more family?"

My daughter's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Like who?"

"Well," I began, memories flooding back into my mind, "Justin's my big brother. I have a little brother, too. His name is Max."

"So I have an Uncle Justin and an Uncle Max?"

I nodded. "And I have a Momma and a Daddy, just like you do."

Now, Leah was really surprised. "You do?"

"Yep. They're your grandparents."

"Do I call them Grama and Grampa?"

"Sure. Or whatever you want to call them. Different people call them different things."

"Oh. What are they like?"

I smiled. "They're the best parents ever."

"Besides you and Daddy, right?"

"Sure. Whatever you say."

"Tell me more!"

"Well, My mom was always trying to act younger that she actually was." I laughed. "She used to try and pass as my _sister_ half the time, even though we all knew she couldn't. But she was a pretty cool mom. She had a big heart."

"She sounds really nice." Leah smiled.

I smiled back at her. "She is."

"And what about your Daddy?"

I bursted out with laughter. So did Mason. Leah did too, even though she had no clue what we were laughing at. "Well, I was always Daddy's little girl. My dad was really funny. He was strict sometimes, but he was really just a big kid at heart." I told her about Dad's pudding addiction, and his special mustard, and how he never paid us when we worked at the sub shop. The three of us ended up laughing our heads off throughout most of the discussion. I sighed happily, replaying old memories in my head.

"So what do you think of them?" Mason asked her after she finished her giggling fit.

"The sound like the coolest gramparents ever!" she exclaimed as she climbed into my lap. I hugged her tight.

"I'm glad you think that way, kiddo," I smiled, "because you're meeting them tomorrow."

Leah's face lit up like it did on Christmas morning. Her eyes and smile widened as wide as possible. "Really?" she cried.

"Really," Mason and I said together, smiling at each other. Leah threw her arms around me.

_**Like it? Hate it? Love it? Let me know! :D**_


	5. A Second Chance

**Absense Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 5 - A Second Chance_

_**Author's Note:**__ Okay dudes, dudetts, and dudeits. I'm really starting to get into this:) I've seriously checked my email about 80 times today to check for new reviews, because y'all make my day. seriously:) _

_Ps, shoutout to __**Gluckliche Katze**__, who I think has read/reviewed ALL of my fanfics! I hereby declare you as my fanfiction stalker, ahahahaha:) thank you for all the love! you really are the super-fan ;) _

**Alex's POV**

"Momma?" a small voice whispered from the darkness, breaking the silence of my bedroom. I slowly opened my eyes. The warm sunlight from the window blinded me. I blinked, then looked down at my daughter.

"Hmm?" I mummbled as I sheilded my eyes. I looked at the clock next to me. 7AM. Ugh. "What's got you up so early?"

Leah's face lit up. "Are we going to your family's house today?" she asked.

"That's the plan," I replied, pushing back my bangs.

"Yay!" she squealed. I smiled as she jumped up and down. "When are we leaving?"

"In a little while," I sighed, "I have to get ready first." I settled my head back on my pillow and closed my eyes.

Leah gave a scowl and shook me by the shoulder. "Then go get ready, silly!"

"Trust me, kiddo, if I know my family, then there's _no_ way they're up right now." I pulled the covers closer to me. "Just wait a few more hours, okay?"

"Okay," she sighed. "Can I stay in here with you?" She looked up at me with her puppy dog eyes. I sighed. She looked just like Mason when she did that; I couldn't resist his either. I smiled and pulled her onto the bed.

"Momma?" she asked. I gave her the _shh_ sign, guestering to Mason, who was sound asleep. She lowered her voice. "Momma?" she whispered.

"Yes, baby?"

She looked up at me with wide eyes. "Do you think you're family will like me?" she asked softly, looking completely serious. I sat up instantly and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked slightly above a whisper.

"Well," she said softly, looking down in her lap, "They don't know about me. They only know what Justin told them, which is that you married Daddy. I'm just a little worried that they won't like me. Do you think they'll like me?"

My jaw slightly dropped. I was completely astonished by a four-year-old. Two things were floating through my mind. One: _How did she know that?_ and two: _Why would she even think that?_ Everybody who had ever met Leah, instantly liked her. Everybody loved Leah. She was very lovable. Even Justin, who had spent only an hour with her yesterday, had instantly taken a liking to her. She was just good with people like that. Like a lovebug.

I looked down at my daughter into her deep honest brown eyes. "Listen, Leah," I ordered, holding her in my arms, "You don't need to worry about a thing. I assure you, they will _love_ you."

Leah figited with the stuffed giraffe in her hand. "I hope you're right," she shrugged.

I brushed the thin brown bangs out of her eyes. "Did you see how quickly Justin accepted you?" I asked her. She blinked. "He got about as much of a warning as they did. They're _your_ family, too. Just be yourself, and they will love you. I guarrentee."

"Thanks, Momma," Leah smiled, "that makes me feel a lot better." She laughed. I smiled and hugged her tight, resting my cheek on her head. I had the same feeling inside as she did. I'd been wondering the same thing. _What will they think? Will they be excited? Disapointed?_ Different questions raced in circles around my mind as I rocked Leah in my arms. She patted my arm softly.

"Its gonna be okay, Momma," she told me, "You'll see." I smiled down at my daughter. Even at only four, she always knew how to make someone feel better.

I looked at Mason, who was breathing softly next to us. I tapped him lightly on his sholder. His eyelids fluttered until he focused. He lifted his head and smiled.

"Good Morning," I smiled as I fixed his bedhead.

"Morning, Love," he smiled, kissing me softly. Leah gagged and rolled her eyes, looking a lot like me. I laughed.

**Justin's POV**

"What time will she be here?" Mom asked for the tenth time in the past hour.

"She said around lunch," I replied for the tenth time. I straightened a green pillow on the couch were I was sitting.

"Did she mean eleven lunchtime or twelve lunchtime?" Mom demanded, she didn't wait for me to respond. "Oh Justin, will you read the text one more time?" She leaned over my shoulder, guestering to my phone. I sighed.

_"Hey, you told Mom and Dad I wanted to visit today, right? We'll try to be there around lunch. That okay? -Alex."_ I read aloud to Mom. She smiled a mile wide. I hadn't seen Mom smile like that in a long time.

"I just can't believe she's coming back!" Mom exclaimed, laying her head on my shoulder.

I glanced at the wall clock on the other side of the room. "Well, you'll have to believe it. She'll be here in about twenty minutes if we're going by eleven lunch."

Mom smiled as a single tear welled up in her eye. She sat next to me. "How does she look?" she asked.

"Great," I smiled, "She's about the same size, and shape. She has purple streaks in her hair now. She looks happy." I thought about my sister with her daughter in her arms. The look of joy and happiness on her face. I found myself smiling, too.

**Alex's POV**

My heart was about ready to beat out of my chest as we pulled up to Waverly Sub Station.

"Excited much?" Mason smiled from the driver's seat. I forgot about his werewolf hearing.

"A little," I replied softly. I looked out the window. Old memories replayed in my mind. Different emotions flowed all around me: happiness, nervousness, excitement, fear. All of the above. I coundn't tell if I was more excited or scared. I looked back at Leah, who was examining her surroundings with wide eyes.

"Ready?" I asked her. Her grin grew wider as she nodded excitedly. I smiled.

"Are _you_ ready?" Mason asked me. I looked at the familiar building in front of me. I glanced at the top window, where I noticed Justin grinning at me. He nodded in approval.

I smiled. "Yep." I climbed out of the car and slid Leah out of her seat. We entered the empty shop. Justin met us inside, making sure no one was following.

"Hey, bro," I smiled.

"Hey, guys!" He replied as he pulled me into a hug. He released me and squatted down to Leah's level, "Hey, kiddo," he announced with a grin.

Leah's face lit up. She immediatly hugged him. "Hi, uncle Justin!" she exclaimed.

"So, what do you think of the place?" he asked her.

She looked around for a minute, then gave him a skeptical glance. "I'm confused. Is this a resturaunt or a subway?" that sent the three of us into a laughing fit. She let out an akward giggle, not getting the joke.

"So, what's the plan?" Mason asked between laughs.

"I have an idea," Justin informed him.

**XxXxX**

I took a deep breath. Justin patted me on the back. I looked back at Mason and Leah, who were behind us, waiting on the signal. Leah smiled and waved at me. I smiled too.

"Ready?" Justin asked.

I looked up at the too familiar staircase. My butterflies bloomed in my stomach and my heart thumped loud enough for everyone to hear. I nodded. We started up the stairs.

"Hey everyobody! Look who's here!" Justin called out as we reached the top step. I gasped.

"ALEX!" my mom cried. She dashed over to us.

"Mom!" I cried. I threw my arms around her. Tears were welling up in both of our eyes. I felt secure.

"Jerry! Alex is here!" Mom called out to the terrace. Dad busted through the door carrying a bottle of mustard. How typical. He spotted me. A smile grew across both of our faces.

"Alex!" He shouted. He instantly wrestled me into a bear hug and lifted me off the ground. He spun me around without a problem, much to my surprise. He set me down and I scanned them both over. They looked about the same. Mom's hair had darkened up, with a few strands of gray here and there. Dad on the other hand, was noticably slimmer. He wasn't quite as clean shaved, but kept his kind face.

"Oh, Alex, we're so glad you came by!" Mom informed me. "I was so worried I'd never see you again."

I smiled. "Me too. I'm really sorry I just left you all without warning like that. I just-"

"We know, honey. You followed your heart, no matter where it took you," Mom smiled as she took my hand, "It's really kind of hard to be mad at you for that."

"And, speaking of your heart," Dad noted, "You're still with Mason, right?" I smiled and dramatically waved my hand, proudly displaying my beautiful dimond ring. Mom gasped and instantly examined it.

"Oh, well I guess that answers that," Dad laughed at his own stupidity. I laughed too.

"We celebrated our fifth anniversary three months ago," I said proudly, making Mom happily tear up again. I looked at Justin, who guestured to the stairs. "Oh, and, speaking of Mason," I continued as a smile grew wide across my face. "There's somebody who I want you to meet." Mom and Dad exchanged glances.

I looked over the rail of the metal staircase. "Come on up, Mason," I called.

**Theresa's POV**

I watched my daughter lean over the rail and look down, just like she did when she was little. She stood on her tippy-toes in order to see the bottom. "Come on up, Mason," she called. I heard the sound of feet stepping on the metal staircase. Mason's steps grew louder. I kept hearing little _tap tap_s between Mason's big _thud_s. He made it to the top of the stairs. I quickly looked him over until I saw his hand, which was being held by a little dark haired, dark eyed girl. I gasped as the little girl looked shyly around the room.

Alex smiled and scooped the little girl onto her hip. "Mom, Dad, this is Leah," she smiled proudly, _"your granddaughter."_

**Okay, I wasn't too proud of this Chapter...what do y'all think ? :)**


	6. Stop the World

**Abesence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 6- Stop the World_

_**Author's Note:**__ Hey guys, so sorry for the long wait! I had plans this weekend, so I couldn't work on this. But I'm back:) enjoy and review!_

**Alex's POV**

I watched my mother's eyes widen with shock as Dad squeezed the mustard bottle in his hand, which sent the mustard flying. They stared at Leah for the longest time, probably making her feel pretty uncomfortable. I mean, if two middle-aged people who you had never met were staring you down with big eyes and dropped jaws, wouldn't you feel just a _little_ weird?

We stood in total silence for the longest time. I glanced at Mom and Dad, then looked at Mason, who had the same uncertain glance as I did. Leah didn't know what to do. She looked at the floor, then at me, then the ceiling, and back to the floor. I hugged her reasurringly.

"Mom?" I asked, my voice cracking.

She finally broke her gaise at Leah. "She's your ...daughter?"

"Yes, Mom." I smiled. "She's _our_ daughter, Justin and Max's neice, and _your_ granddaughter." I started over towards her, "Leah Nicole _Graybeck_."

Mom was completely speechless. I sighed. I knew she was disapointed. I could just feel it. Before I could say a word, a smile spead across my mother's face, sending me into a state of confusion.

"Can I...hold her?" Mom asked, slowly holding out her arms.

"You mean, you're not...mad?" I asked her in surprise.

"Why on _earth_ would we be mad?" Mom demanded, smiling at my daughter. Leah waved weakly.

"We're kind of, surprised," Dad admitted, "But we are far from mad."

Mom bent over to where she was eye level with Leah. "Hi sweetie," she smiled.

I adjusted Leah's position on my hip to where I could face her. "Leah, this is my mom. Say hi to Grandma."

Leah flashed her one of my irisitable smiles. "Hi," she said softly. She turned to face me, "The guy with the mustard is my grandpa, right?" Her failed attempt of a side comment sent the entire room into a burst of laughter.

"Yes, honey, that's your grandpa," I laughed. Leah wiggled out of my grasp and made her way to my parents, instantly hugging them. Mom beamed. She smiled kindly and scooped her into her arms.

"Wow, Leah," she smiled, "You're such a pretty little girl," she studdied my daughter's face. Leah smiled at her again.

Dad looked her over, "Are you kidding me, Theresa? She's _gorgeous!_ Prettiest kid I've _ever_ seen!" He glanced at me, "That includes you too, honey. Sorry, but she's cuter than _you_ were!" He smiled at my daughter, who was giving him the puppy eyes. I knew she was milking it. "She's just-just-so-just- _awww!"_

"Wow," Mason whispered to me, "this went better than I thought it would."

"I know," I whispered back. I smiled at him as he took my hand. We watched my parents obssess over my daughter.

"So this is where Momma lived?" Leah questioned as she glanced around the room.

"That's right," Mom replied, "Just about every milestone in her life happened right here."

"Really?"

"Yep," Dad smiled. He pointed to the dining area, "That's where your momma took her first steps!"

Mom guestured to the stairs separating the dining room from the living room, "And that's where your momma fell down the stairs right _after_ taking her first steps!"

Mason snorted a laugh. I gave his shoulder a quick backhanded smack. Apperently that was his first time hearing about that. I rolled my eyes.

Dad pulled Leah playfully on his back and took her to the living room. "And this," he said as he gestured to the couch, "is the very place that your momma loved the most!" I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Leah asked, "Its just a couch."

"Oh to you, its just a couch. But to her, it was her second _room_!" Dad laughed.

"Speaking of rooms," Mom laughed, "Why don't we go upstairs and see her old room? That can give us time to come up with a name besides _Grandma_. That sounds too old and gray for someone who could," hairflip, "easily pass for your mother, or even older sister." Leah smiled and rolled her eyes as my dad carried her up the stairs with Mom. I gasped.

"What is it, brown eyes?" Mason asked concerningly.

"My room!" I exclaimed.

"What about it?"

A smile spread across my face. "It's still there!" I sprinted excitedly up the stairs as if I were Leah's age again. It kind of felt fitting, due to the fact that I _was_ that age at this place.

I raced up the stairs with Mason and Justin trailing behind. I dashed down the hall to the second door to the right. I caught my breath from the previous exercise, then lost it when I saw the white door. My colorful sign I painted years ago was still there. _Alex's Room: enter at your own risk._ I turned the faded golden knob and slowly entered the room.

"Oh my gosh," I said softly. I glanced around my childhood room in complete awe. All my stuff that I left behind was exactly where I left it, like it hadn't been touched.

"Its all still here!" I announced. I took off around the room, feeling like a kid in a candy store. "My desk, my bed, my mini fridge, my tape ball," I looked at the wall, "my fur wall paper!" I rubbed my hands up and down the wall, probably recieving some pretty akward looks, but I didn't care. I sank to my knees and felt a few tears coming down. I was wearing the biggest smile I'd ever had.

Mason was instantly at my side. "What's wrong, Love?" he asked.

I gave everyone around me a crazed smile. _"It's all still here!"_ I cried. I wiped my tears away and smiled at my daughter, who was dancing around my room wearing about three of my old scarves. She picked up a picture frame, studied it with a puzzled glance, and brought it over to me, settling in my lap.

"Is this you and Daddy?" Leah questioned, handing me the picture. I gasped when I saw it. In a lime green frame, surrounded by black polkadots and a hot pink heart, was an old picture of Mason and I.

The picture was of back when we were just about sixteen. It was right outside the house on a very special night. I was wearing the true love neclace, which was glowing brighter than the sun, and Mason was a werewolf, not unusual. We were both in each others arms, as if time had stood still. Neither of us where looking at the camera, evidently. But it was still one of my favorites.

I rested my head on Mason's shoulder, "Oh my gosh, Mason. Look how young we were!"

"When was that?" Leah asked us.

"That was about seven years ago," I smiled.

"Right after you figured out I was a werewolf," Mason smiled, kissing the top of my head. Leah, who was used to Mason's werewolf-ness, smiled up at us.

"And right after you said you loved me," I grinned.

"And I haven't stopped since," he put his arm around me. I stood up and looked at the ceiling, where a red splatter mark was. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey! That's from when we got into that fight back when when I was ten!" I told Justin.

Justin laughed, "Yeah, when we were home alone and I didn't want to get in trouble, since Mom and Dad said you couldn't use your paint in your room!"

I gave the paint splatter a quizzical glance, "Yeah, I'm starting to see why I wasn't supposed to." I dashed to my old nightstand and quickly moved it out of the way, trying my best not to knock over the lamp. "The stain!" I cried, "the stain is still there!" I jumped excitedly. My family gave me an odd glance.

I pointed to the faded pink splotch in the carpet, "Remember? Max threw up strawberry milk in here when I was six!" I smiled happily, then faded it. "Oh my gosh! Max! Harper! Where is everybody?" I competely forgot.

"Oh, right!" Dad announced, "We sent Max to the grocery store, then _realized_ that we sent him to a store with _cash_ so Harper took off after him. They should be back soon."

"Ah, I see," I laughed. Leah toddled over to my Mom.

"Do you have anything to eat?" she questioned her. My head turned to see my daughter giving her another irisistable smile. She knew that I had grown slightly immune to that, but she was just getting started with my parents.

"C'mon, sweetie," Mom smiled, scooping her up on her hip. She took her down to the kitchen. Dad waited until the coast was clear, then lowered his voice.

"So, is Leah a, you know," he gave us some unreadable hand guestures, sending both Mason and I into a state of confusion.

"He means," Justin corrected, "Is she a wizard or a werewolf?"

"Oh," I replied. "Um.."

"We're, actually not sure," Mason answered. I smiled and shrugged.

"So far she hasn't shown signs of either," I finished for him.

"Does she, well, _know_ about magic?" Dad asked.

I shook my head. "I really didn't want to tell her until it was nessecary, or until I had some sort of proof, so she'd believe me."

Dad raised an eyebrow. "Alex? She's four. I'm pretty sure she'd believe anything."

I rolled my eyes. Clearly he didn't know her well enough.

"Leah, well, understands things," Mason explained, "Much more than a normal kid."

"What do you mean?" Justin asked, suddenly interested.

"He means," I explained, "She gets things. Like, for some weird reason, she can tell when something's wrong. And she can tell when she's being lied to."

"She can even read and write," Mason announced proudly.

Dad and Justin exchanged glances.

"What?" I demanded.

"Well," Dad began, "They say that some of the world's most powerful wizards show signs at an early age."

"What kind of signs?" Mason asked.

"Well," Justin stated, "Levitation, shapeshifting-"

"Well that sounds nothing like her," I told them.

"You didn't let me finish," Justin replied, "it also is said that the signs include special abilities, and slight _mind reading_." Mason and I exchanged glances.

"Well that sounds a lot like her," I restated.

_**Chapter 7 coming hopefully sooner than this did! Review? :)**_


	7. Fearless

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 7- Fearless_

_**Author's Note:**__ Hi everyone! It just now occured to me that for the past 5 or 6 chapters that I had been spelling 'Absence' wrong in the title above. Fail. Really sorry about that! Feeling a little stupid right now, but hey. In order to be old and wise, you have to at some point be young and stupid. ;-)_

**Harper's POV**

"I don't think a pack of energy drinks was on your parent's grocery list, Max," I informed him as we walked back to the shop. I guestured to the heavier paper bag in his hand.

"But it _is_ something that will keep me occupied and out of their hair," He replied, obviously proud of his previous remark. I rolled my eyes.

"But it will also keep you up for nights on end, and make you look like you need to be in a mental institution," I responded, shuffling the bag of lettuce to my other hand.

"Please, Harper. I'm not fourteen. I'm a _legal adult."_ he enphasised. He attempted to strut down the sidewalk, but missed the curb by one foot and ended up falling backwards into a neighbor's shrub. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really now? Way to show off your _legal adult_ brain, dude." I snickered to myself as he angerly climbed back to his feet. I was still laughing my head off as we walked into the Russo's front door.

"Hey guys! You'll never guess what Max did!" I laughed loudly as Max pulled shrub out of his hair.

"Hey, who's the kid?" Max whispered to me. I gave him a confused glance. He pointed to the bar, where a small dark haired girl was sitting with her back facing us. I walked a little closer. The girl was smiling as she carefully used crayons on an opened jumbo coloring book.

"Mrs. Russo?" I called out in confusion.

"Yes, Harper?" she replied, her head in the fridge.

"Um," I studdered, "Any reason for a kid to be in here?"

Mrs. Russo's head instantly snapped.

"Nonna?" the little girl spoke up in a high bell-chime voice, "Do you have a crayon sharpener?"

My jaw dropped. "And, why is she calling you _Nonna_?" I demanded.

"Because she said that _Grandma_ sounded too old and gray," the girl answered for me. She spun around in her chair and gave me a dazzling smile.

"Wait just one second!" I demanded, _"Grandma?"_ I shoved the groceries in my arms onto the counter.

Mrs. Russo gave me a worried glance, then smiled at the girl. "One second, sweetie. I'm pretty sure there's a sharpener in the closet upstairs. Why don't you go check?"

The little girl nodded and skipped past me up the stairs. On her way up, I caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were a pretty shade of dark brown. They looked happy and honest, _and way too familiar._

I waited until she left the room before I confronted the issue. I lowered my voice to where she couldn't hear. _"What the heck is going on?"_ I demanded.

"Well," Mrs. Russo began, "it's kind of a long story. You see-"

"Hey Mom?" an even more familiar voice called as footsteps thudded down the metal staircase, "Leah said she couldn't find a sharpener in the closet. Is there any other place one might be?" She bounded down the stairs with the girl on her right hip. She glanced into the living room, then noticed me. She froze.

"H-harper..?" she studdered.

"Alex?" I asked.

She stared at me with wide eyes. I stared back at her, my eyes equally as wide. She slowly set the girl down and continued down the stairs. A smile spred across her face.

"HARPER!" she cried as she rushed over. She threw her arms around me, much to my surprise. My jaw dropped into an open-mouthed smile as I hugged her back.

"Oh Harper! I thought you would've forgotten about me by now!" She informed me. I could see a single tear start to form in her eye as she laughed.

"And, I thought you weren't a hugger..?" I laughed as she released me.

"Five years can change a person," she smiled, striking a random pose. I laughed. Same old Alex.

"You can say that again!" I replied, "You look great!" She smirked. Never to refuse a compliment: so Alex. "And why on _earth_ would I forget my best friend?"

The little girl spoke up in a singsong voice. "So _this_ is the best friend you were always talking about!" she laughed.

Alex carefully lifted the girl up into her arms. "Harper, this is my daughter, Leah Nicole. Leah, this is your Aunt Harper."

My face lit up like a street light. _"Aunt_ Harper?" I asked.

"Well, duhh," Alex corrected, "She wasn't going to call you _Uncle_ Harper!"

"Well I'm honored," I smiled.

"Shouldn't _I_ be honored, too?" Max interrupted us. Alex head turned. Her jaw dropped.

"Max!" she yelped, pushing Leah into my arms as she dashed over to her brother, gawking over how much he'd grown. Leah instantly hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back, feeling touched that she accepted me so quickly. I looked into her eyes. I could definatly see Alex in her, but she also had Mason's kind smile. She looked happy. I had always pictured Alex as a good mom; she was just a kid herself at heart.

**Alex's POV**

I sat in the living room with my family, having the time of my life. I couldn't stop smiling even for a second. Whether it was my brothers and I reliving our old childhood memories, or just smiling at my beautiful daughter, who had fallen asleep in my dad (and now her Poppy)'s arms, I felt secure. I felt happy. I felt right at home. I honestly couldn't ask for anything more. My life was coming close to perfect.

Once again, of course, _I spoke too soon._

_**Review? :)**_


	8. A Surprise

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 8 - A Surprise_

_**Author's Note:**__ I...have nothing to say. Lol:) enjoy!_

**Alex's POV**

Of course, knowing me, I just had to wait until the last possible second to make Leah's birthday cake. It was the night before, marking the third month that I had been in contact with my family. (We had signed Leah up for the second semester of pre-school, due to the fact that she could read and write at a near third grade level.)

I was busy mixing away in the kitchen, making more of a chocolatey mess rather than a cake, while Mason laughed from behind me, when we heard an ear-splitting scream from down the hall. I froze.

_"MOMMA!"_ I heard Leah cry. Her voice was shaking. Mason and I exchanged glances. I dropped the cake mix on the counter as we dashed into her room. My heart dropped like a rock in the ocean.

Leah, my baby, was rolling on the floor, bawling her eyes out. She pressed her hands harshly against her ears as she screamed, her face as red as a tomato.

Mason was instantly at her side. "What happened?" he asked as he rubbed her back soothingly. I was still frozen at the doorframe with shock.

"I don't know!" she wailed, "But it HURTS!" she crawled closer to Mason and placed her head in his lap, tears rolling down her cheeks like waterfalls. "Please, Daddy! Make it stop! Make it STOP!"

I finally found the strength to move and squatted down to her level. I pushed the damp hair out of her eyes and wiped the tears off her cheek. "Mason, what's happening?" I demanded, then lowered my voice, _"Is she phasing?"_

"I don't know," he stated calmly. "I've _never_ seen somebody phase at such a young age!"

"But is it possible?"

"I suppose so," he said doubtfully. I rested my hand on Leah's forehead, then instantly jerked it away. It was burning hot. Most definatly over a fever.

"Mason! Feel her forehead! She's burning up!" I ordered. Leah let out another scream, making my ears ring.

Mason softly stroked her cheek, then placed his hand on her little forehead. I watched his facial expression change instantly to astonishment.

"I think she's phasing," he responded softly.

"But you said it was fast and painless!" I pointed out.

"It usually is!" He replied, "Maybe the pain has something to do with how young she is!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I begged.

"I _mean_, maybe, since she's so young, her body wasn't ready for her to change so soon, so it hasn't had time to protect itself from the pain," he explained, then scratched his head. "But it doesn't make sense! Werewolves aren't supposed to phase until their bodies are old enough to be able to block the pain!"

"Which is when?"

"Well, the youngest on record is about ten or eleven," he responed.

"And Lee's not even five," I said softly to myself. Mason and I exchanged worried glances. There was absolutely _no way_ she was strong enough to phase yet.

"Maybe it's not it," Mason offered, hoping to lighten my mood. We both knew better. I felt just about ready to cry.

"I don't care _what_ it is!" Just make it STOP!" Leah pleaded. She kicked her little legs in the air in frustration.

I looked at Mason with worried eyes. "What are we going to do?" I asked softly as I stroked her hair.

Mason shrugged, "All we can do now is wait for her to change fully." He told me.

"So, we're just gonna _leave_ her like that?" I demanded angerly.

"Don't leave me, Momma!" Leah wailed.

"We're not going anywhere," Mason told her, then turned to me. "We can't stop the phase from coming, there's nothing we can do to stop the pain. We're just going to have to pray for the best." He took my hand.

My breathing stopped all together. I looked down at Leah. My baby, my poor sweet angel, having to endure so much pain already in her young life. Every one of her tears that rolled down her cheek was equivilant to a punch in the gut for me. I wanted to take the pain away from her. I wanted it to hurt me, not her. I'd take it away from her in a heartbeat.

I decided to let Mason take over, since he had a better understanding of what was going on than I did. "What do you want me to do?" I offered.

"Go get a wet towel, cold water," he ordered. It hurt my heart to leave my daughter's side. I knew she was in good hands with her daddy, though. It broke my heart, but I left the room.

**Leah's POV**

The pain was worse than anything I had ever felt. Worse than the time I fell off my bike into the pavement. Worse than when I fell off the slide's ladder at the playground. Worse than anything I could imagine, and I could imagine a _lot_ of things.

I kicked my legs against the carpet in frustration. I wanted the pain to stop. And I wanted it to stop NOW. I looked up at Daddy with pleading eyes.

"Daddy?" I wailed. I flipped over to my back so I could see him. "Daddy when will it go away?"

"It'll be soon, little princess." He reasured me, trying to smile. "Soon."

I gathered all of the strength I had and tried to smile at him. But then, it hit me. I screamed.

A pain much worse quickly entered my head. I felt like someone had planted dynomite in my brain. I screamed and kicked and punched my fists against the floor. I screamed and cried until my throat hurt. I couldn't take it. Then, it stopped. A white flash flooded the room.

"Daddy? What's happening?" I cried frantically. I couldn't see him. I couldn't see anything. I squeezed my eyes shut. Everything went white.

I felt my arm being shaken. "Leah? Princess? Can you hear me?" I tried to nod. I reopened my eyes to see Daddy smiling at me.

"How do you feel?" he asked me.

"My head still hurts," I told him. I sat up and tried to rub my eyes. Daddy quickly pushed my hands down.

"Don't rub your eyes, baby," he told me, "You'll hurt yourself."

"Huh?" I asked in confusion. I slowly lifted my hands into my line of vision. I screamed. My hands were slightly thicker, with hair about the same shade as mine. Small black curled nails replaced my slightly uneven pink ones that were there before.

"Daddy?" I asked, feeling tears form in my eyes. "What happened?"

"You're a werewolf," he told me.

_**Hmpf. You didn't see that coming, now did ya? Meheheh:)**_


	9. A Second Surprise

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 9- A Second Surprise_

**Author's Note:**** sorry! sorry! sorry! My computer decided to randomly be screwy for no reason, so I ocouldn't update it until now. Thank you for all the love!(:**

**Mason's POV**

"I'LL GET IT!" Leah shouted when the doorbell rang. She sprinted from the kitchen to the front door, leaving me in the dust. She swung open the door, where Justin was waiting outside.

"Did you bring my present?" she asked him excitedly. She bounced up and down like a little jumping bean. I raised an eyebrow.

I reigned her in by her shoulders. "Now, Leah, that's not very nice," I informed her, "What do you say?"

"Sorry," she pouted, then smiled again.

"Good job, Lovebug," Alex called from the kitchen, "You _always_ butter him up first, _then_ you ask him if he brought it!" She snickered away.

"Well," Justin laughed, "at least _someone_ plans on teaching her some manors!" He bent down to Leah's level and scooped her in his arms, making her giggle uncontrollably. "Happy birthday, Squirt,"he smiled.

"Guess how old I am!" she ordered in between giggles.

"Hm..I don't know..." He pretended to think about it, "Sixteen?"

"Noo!" she rolled her eyes.

"Um...eighteen?"

"Wrong again!"

"Okay...five?"

"Nope!" she announced, much to his surprise.

"Huh?"

"I'm not five _yet_," she explained. "I won't be until eleven thrity-six this afternoon!"

"Which is why she _insisted_ that her party be exactly then," Alex informed him as she tore off her chocolate-stained apron and tossed it on the kitchen table, relieved from the final attempt of making Leah's birthday cake.

"I _always_ blow out my candles at eleven thirty-six," Leah told him.

"Why is that?" Justin asked curiously.

"Apperently it's good luck to her," I replied.

"It makes my wish's magic work better," she told him. Alex and Justin exchanged laughs.

"Ah, I see. So, do you need any help with the decorations or anything?"

Alex dragged a few Wal-Mart bags from the kitchen and flopped them on the table. "A lot is already there, we just need to bring this, and cake number four, and we'll be all set." She turned to our daughter. "Go ahead and get dressed, honey."

"Okay!" she replied as she took off. She froze, then spun around. "Can _I_ pick it out?"

Alex raised an eyebrow as Leah folded her arms and gave a pout. "Out of the options _I _give you. Deal?"

"Deal," Leah sighed.

"By the way," Alex remarked, "Don't even try the pouty look on me. I _invented_ that." Leah laughed at she skipped to her room with her mother, who ended up skipping too.

**Harper's POV**

"Hey aunt Harper!" Leah called when she spotted me as I came down the stairs. The little girl pranced from the sub shop's entrance to hug my legs. She was wearing a dark blue jean skirt, a white blouse, a hot pink quarter-sleeved sweater, tied together with light and dark pink striped knee socks and white converse. Her hair was wavy as always which flew in all directions as she ran. Yep. No doubt she wasAlex's daughter.

"Happy birthday, girlie!" I told her as I hugged her back. She gave me a dazzling smile as Alex and Mason entered.

"When can we do presents?" she asked them excitedly.

"When everyone gets here, sweetie," Alex smiled down at her. Leah groaned.

"So who all's coming?" I asked curiously.

"You, Mom, Dad, Justin, Max, and pretty much some of Lee's friends from school," Alex replied.

"Sarah, Myrah, Conner, Destiny, and-," she giggled, "-Joshua."

My eyebrow raised. "Is this 'Joshua' guy somebody special?" I smirked.

"No," she said quickly, refusing to look me in the eye.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that somebody might have a crush, little miss," Justin smirked.

"What?" Leah demanded, "Me? Joshua? What? Him? Ew!" she shuddered, obviously lying. "Pshh no way! Pshh!" She crossed her arms and turned away, her cheeks as red as a tomato.

"It's okay, honey," Alex smiled, putting an arm around her daughter.

"There is _no_ way I like Joshua. No way. Not happenin'!" she stated. The shop's door opened. Leah spun around, gasped, then turned back to us. "Oh my gosh he's here-how's my hair?"

_"Little Alex,"_ Mason coughed. Alex smacked his shoulder, making him laugh.

Leah frantically pushed the dark hair out of her face. "Hey, Joshua!" she called.

"Hey, Leah!" he smiled sweetly. Hey waved by to his mom and made his way over.

"Oh my gosh guys he's coming! _Act cool!"_ she spun around to face him. We instantly bursted with laughter. Leah glared in an adorable way.

"Where is everybody?" Joshua asked.

"Not sure," Leah replied, "I think you're kind of early. Do you wanna see the cake?"

"Sure!" he laughed, "Race ya'!" The two dashed to the counter, nearly plowing over Mr. Russo, who was exiting the kitchen.

"Aww," I smiled, "A girl's first crush is always the sweetest."

Alex laughed, grinning at them as they raced around the counter. "She sure knows how to pick 'em! He's a cutie."

"She takes right after her mom," Mason smiled, then turned serious. "But if he breaks her heart, I'll break his tricycle."

**Alex's POV**

"Alright, Lovebug," Mason smiled as he put an arm around me, "this one's from us." He passed her a small box wrapped in purple and silver wrapping paper. Leah took it from him as she set Mom and Dad's present on the table. I was still amazed that they bought her an iPod. Not a little $70 iPod shuffle that she would loose in a week, but a $300 _touch_. For a _five-year-old. _

I shook it off as she carefully opened the box, trying her best not to tear or bend the shiny paper, probably hoping to save it to tape on her "pretty paper wall" in her room.

"Come _on_, Leah!" One of the boys complained. I think his name is Conner.

"I'm _trying!_" she whined back. She finally reached the velvety box. She slowly opened it and smiled.

"It's beautiful," she smiled at us. I helped her pull the neclace out of the box. It was a shiny silver chain that held a shiny locket with her name engraved in face cursive.

"Open it," I smiled.

She slowly opened the heart-shaped locket and gasped.

"Is that us?" she asked.

"Yep," I smiled. I put my arm around her. "That was at your first birthday." I glanced at the tiny picture. Memories of that day flooded my mind, making tears well up in my eyes as I slipped it around her little neck. The three of us looked so happy. Everything was simple.

"Can we have cake now?" one of Leah's little friends interupted impatiently.

Leah grabbed Mason's wrist and glanced at his watch. "Eleven thirty-two! We gotta do the cake NOW!" she announced. Leah clapped her little hands excitedly.

"Mom!" I called to the kitchen, "Can you bring the cake?"

**Leah's POV**

_"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Leah, Happy Birthday to youu!"_ My friends and family sang to me as Nonna brought my cake out to the table.

_"Cha-cha-cha!"_ My uncle Max added, hoping the other kids would be singing the add-in, too. Much to his disapointment, he was alone.

Daddy checked his watch. "Eleven thirty-six, right on the dot!"

I closed my eyes and wished with all my might. _God, Jesus, Birthday fairy, whoever's listening, I wish for something absolutly amazing to happen today. Amen._ I blew out my five purple candles, smiling a mile wide. The entire room burst into applause. Then, everyone gasped.

"What?" I asked. Momma and Daddy looked at eachother.

_This can't be happening,_ an unknown voice whispered in the back of my mind. I didn't reply. The voice wasn't uncommon. It tells me what's going on and when something bad happens. I get this weird feeling inside when Momma or Daddy are upset or worried. Always have, probably always will. And as of right now, I was getting that feeling.

And then, I was floating. Literally.

"Leah!" Momma yelped. She tried to reach for me, but I was floating too high, right out of my seat. The ground was slowly getting further and further away. My head bumped against the celing. Ow. All my friends screamed. I was so confused. _What was happening to me?_

_**What did you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!**_

_**Chapter 10 coming much much sooner than this one did:)**_


	10. Aftershock

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 10 - Aftershock_

_**Author's Note:**__Hey!(: for updates on stories, lines from WoWP, motivational quotes, quotes from weird things my friends and family say, and randomness that floats in my mind while attempting to concentrate, follow my twitter! __**ohSnap_itzShay**__! thanks guys!(:_

**Alex's POV**

My eyes started to water as I panicked. I knew exactly what was going on, I just couldn't believe it. I convinced myself that that wasn't it. I shook it off and focused on the bigger problem: _How do we fix it?_

I watched in horror as Leah, my baby, levitated high above her frightened guests. I tried to reach for her, but she was already at the ceiling. She grabbed hold of a ceiling fan that was luckily turned off. I had never been so thankful for my dad's money-saving ambition in my entire life. I said a silent prayer and turned to my dad.

"What's happening?" I asked him, my voice cracking. Leah screamed and clung to the fan for dear life.

_"Magic's happening,"_ he whispered back.

My mouth dropped open. My guess was exactly right, but I didn't understand how.

"That's impossible!" Mason replied, "She's a werewolf! We figured that out last night!"

"Well unless this is some kind of freaky side effect, I'm assuming that she's both!" Dad argued back, then glanced at Leah. "I've just never seen a wizard that young before."

"Come to think of it, I've never seen a werewolf phase so young either," Mason admitted.

"Okay guys! _Not_ our biggest problem right now!" I interupted, "Would you rather negotiate or figure out a way to fix it?"

Mason, Justin, and Dad glanced at me, realizing that I was probably right.

"Wow, Alex. Negotiate?" Justin asked, "Your vocabulary has expanded. I'm impressed!"

"I know, right? I guess being an _adult_ has rubbed off on me!" I laughed, then snapped back. "Okay! Focus! What are we going to do?"

"Okay, first things first, we need to distract the other kids from Leah," Justin declared.

"I got this," I replied with a smirk. I reached for my boot, only to make my eyes widen with surprise. I looked down and sighed. There was no wand there. There hadn't been one there for the past five years. "Oh," I said softly.

"What?"

"Nothing." I sighed. I was caught up in the moment. Being back home made me feel like sixteen or seventeen again.

"Do you have an idea?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"To distract the kids."

"Oh! Um," I thought for a minute, then snapped my fingers. "Um, okay! We can slingshot a brick, or, or, oh! A basketball! Yes! We can lauch a basketball from a telephone pole and hit an ice cream truck! Then, it will crash, and, and, popsicles will go flying and land all over the street. All the kids will hear the ice cream jingle and run into the street, and out of our hair!" I nodded. "Problem solved."

My brother gave me a blank stare. "Or," he informed me, "I can use magic to make strings appear on her back, so it'll look staged."

I shrugged. My plan sounded more exciting, but I agreed. Justin pulled the family wand from his back pocket and waved it in the air, whispering a spell that I didn't recognise. Instantly, a thick brown rope was tied to a harness around Leah. She jumped in surprise, but clung to the fan. The rope wrapped around a hook in the ceiling like a pulley. The other end rested in Justin's hand. It looked totally believable.

I patted him on the back as he lowered her to the grown. "Nice work, bro," I complemented. Leah yanked off the harness and jumped into my arms. I held her as tight as possible, in order to prevent her from floating away again. She buried her face in my shoulder, sniffling away. That little number must have really scared her. She looked up at me with frightened eyes, tears streaming down her face. I didn't remember being that terrified when I first got my powers. Well, on the other hand, I was ten, not five. And, I was expecting it. She had no idea.

"What happened, Momma?" she wailed softly.

"I'll explain later, baby," I told her, "What matters now is that you're okay." I smiled down at her, then looked at her little friends. They were speechless. "Okay, everybody! Party's over!"

"Awww!" The cried.

"It was just getting good!" One girl pouted.

"And we haven't had cake yet!" Another whined.

"Sorry kids, but the party's over." I faced my family. "Mom? Will you start caling their parents? Just tell them that there was a small domestic emergency or something." She nodded and dashed up the stairs.

That one whiney dude darted his eyes at me. He glanced around at the other kids. He stomped his and wailed, "We want cake!"

He continued to chant until two of the other kids joined in. Joshua remained silent. Like I said before, Leah sure does know how to pick 'em.

Seconds later, they were shouting and stomping their little feet loud enough to make my ears ring. Even Leah, who obviously didn't want her party end, joined in at the end. I counldn't blame her. What five-year-old wanted _this_ to happen at their own birthday party?

I could tell the kids were starting to dry Mason's patience. He started walking in circles, like he usually did when he was stressed. (Believe me, you should've seen him during Leah's birth! That was very frustrating to watch.) That was pretty much his own creative way of hyperventilating. That's Mason for you.

"What are we going to do?" He demanded.

"I don't know!" I replied as he circled. "We just need to- Mason. I can't concentrate with you pacing like that. Just _sit down!"_

He obediently sat on the chair behind him. I tried to think, but I ended up laughing my head off at his obedience. Cause, you know, _sit? Obedience? Werewolf?_ Ha ha, oh, just-nevermind.

"Harper?" I asked frantically. She nodded and stood up.

"HEY!" she snapped, silencing the room. "You are ALL to line up in an ORDERLY FASHION. We will give you your cake, and you will wait OUTSIDE for your parents. _GOT IT?"_ They all nodded at once and obayed. I smiled and rolled my eyes. Same old Harper.

**XxXxXxX**

"Okay, will somebody _please_ tell me what just happened?" Leah asked after all her friends left. I knew exactly how she was feeling. Confused, scared, heartbroken, story of my life.

_"Does she know about magic?"_ Dad mouthed at me. I shook my head.

"Well," I began.

"Well what?" she turned to Mason. "Was that some werewolf side effect?"

"No, sweetie, it's not," Mason said softly.

"Then what is it?" she looked at all of us.

"Well, you know how I'm a werewolf?" He asked.

"Yes. And so am I, right?"

"Yes, you are. You see, how do I put this?" He took a deep breath. "Your mother's a wizard."

Leah's little mouth dropped open. She glanced at each of us with total astonishment. We remained quiet.

_"Was_, actually." I corrected in order to break the silence.

Leah stared at all of us for what seemed like forever. Finally, she cracked a smile. She bursted into a giggle fit.

"Okay, the werewolf thing I get, but _really?_ Wizards? C'mon, guys!" She laughed and laughed until she realized that nobody was laughing with her. "Seriously, what happened?"

"That _is_ seriously what happened, darling," Mason replied.

"Wait," she gave us a quizzical glance. _"Huh?"_

"I really was a wizard, Leah," I said.

"That doesn't make sense!" she announced. "And, what do you mean, _was_ a wizard?"

I hopped out of my seat and walked towards the kitchen. "C'mon, Leah. I think there's something you need to see." I took her hand and lead her to the veggie cooler. I squeeze my eyes shut and opened the door.

"Momma? This is a big fridge," Leah informed me. My eyes snapped open, only to see vegtables sitting on shelves in front of me. I sighed.

"Oh. Right. No magic." I smirked. I couldn't help but feel disapointed. That was the first time in my life that I couldn't opened the lair. I felt like I died a little inside.

"Allow me," Justin smiled. He pointed his wand at the door, then opened it. Leah gasped.

"Whoa.." she managed out. She glanced around the room with wide eyes in awe as we entered. My mouth was as open as hers was. Dad started over to the left side of the red sofa.

"No! Wait!" I blurted out impulsively. I dashed over.

"What?" he asked alarmed.

"That's _my_ spot." I said softly as I settled in my seat. He laughed and sat in the brown recliner.

"What is this place?" Leah asked. She settled herself between Mason and I on the sofa.

"This is the Russo family wizard lair," Dad stated proudly. My eyebrow raised.

"Wait," I ordered. "If Justin's the family wizard, shouldn't the lair be at _his_ place?"

"I _do_ have my own." Justin replied. "But every wizard-blooded family has their own portal, regardless if they have magic or not."

"But what's the point in that?" I asked.

"Well," Dad began, "Every wizard family has to have a portal. Even though you and Max aren't wizards anymore, you get a portal so your children can have access to the wizard world."

"So wait," I guestured to Mason, "We're going to have our own portal?"

_"Have,"_ he corrected. "You _have_ a portal."

"Huh?"

"You've had one since Leah was born. It just doesn't open until she recieves her full powers." He explained. "Which, I think is today."

I stood up and rested my hands on my hips. "Okay, HOLD UP! So you're telling me that we've had a portal to the _wizard world_ in _our house_ for _five years_ now, and we never knew about it?"

"That pretty much sums it up," Justin replied.

"And, if Max and Hailey ever get married and have children, they'll have one too."

I shuddered. I couldn't picture Max as a dad. Those words just didn't work right. I couldn't imagine him married either. I mean, I loved Hailey. She was really sweet. For the past two months, she seemed to make Max really happy. But if i knew Max, the only thing that he could committ to is a cell phone plan.

On the other hand, I couldn't picture _myself_ as a mom until the day I learned I was pregnant. And even then, I was terrified. Now, I don't know what I would do without that sweet child of mine.

"What about you, Justin?" I smirked. "Do you plan on giving Lovebug a cousin or two?" I elbowed him in the side.

"For your information," he raised his eyebrow, "I've been single for a while now."

"Why does that not surprise me?" I joked playfully. Justin rolled his eyes.

"Same old Alex," he laughed.

"Growing old is manual. Growing up, on the other hand, is optional." I smirked. I stuck out my tounge.

"Speaking of growing up," Leah interrupted, "Will someone please explain this whole thing before I turn six?"

_**Thanks for reading! Review?**_

_**Sorry I haven't been updating as much as I want to, but hey, I'm just a freshman in high school, so...yeah. Chapter 11 coming as soon as possible! A lot of writers do an outline of their stories before they start writing it, but I don't, Lol. I'm actually making this up as I go along. I really don't know how it ends. Maybe it will never end! You never know. Depends on my mood;) **_


	11. Testing

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 11 - Testing_

_**Author's Note:**__ ...I don't own WoWP...that I'm aware of... I'm still making this up as I go along so...let's see what happens next!(:_

**Justin's POV**

"So, What's the point of the Wizard Competition?" Leah asked. She had been bombing us with curious questions for the past hour and a half. I was pretty surprised at all that she could come up with; the kid was a genius. She adjusted her position on the couch to where her head rested in Alex's lap and her feet in Mason's.

"Well, that's how you pass down the family's magic," Dad told her.

She rested her chin in her hands. "But why do they have to compete against each other?" she asked.

"Well, that's how you find out who the better wizard is."

"But it's not fair," Leah noted.

"In some ways," I replied. "But, in some ways it _is_. You see, some people aren't very good wizards. And some are. The Wizard Competition is how the better wizard is determined. Good wizards are needed in the Wizard World, and bad ones aren't."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense," she agreed hesitantly. She drummed her fingers on the unopened juice box rested in her hand. "But it still doesn't seem fair to me. What about all the other wizards that worked their whole _lives_ to be a full wizard?" She flopped the box on the couch. "It just doesn't seem fair to me."

"Story of my life, hun," Alex remarked, rubbing her back in reasurance. She gave me a smirk. I replied with an eye roll, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Well," Mom said as she busted into the lair, "If we have all this sorted out by now, does anybody want some cake? We might as well not waste it, right?"

Alex, Leah, and Dad's heads intstantly snapped. "COMING!" they cried in unison. They jumped off their seats and dashed out of the lair, nearly plowing each other over at the staircase. I laughed. A three-generation cake lovers fest. Old habbits die hard.

**Alex's POV**

I settled myself in my favorite spot on the bright orange couch with my half eaten piece of cake, smiling at Leah, who was making her chocolate milk bubble with her straw. She figited in her seat, waiting on Harper to cut her a second piece.

"So, Alex, Mason," Justin began as he and Dad entered the room. "Can we talk to you for a minute?"

Mason and I exchanged glances, but agreed. We followed them to the dining room table.

"Justin and I have been talking," Dad began slightly above a whisper.

"And we're wondering why all this stuff is happening to Leah so soon." Justin finished.

"So? She's unique!" I replied.

"Yes, but, I'm really curious to what's making all this happen." Justin answered.

"How are you supposed-" I started. Then, I got the message. And I wasn't happy with it. "What? No! No way!"

"Come on, Alex! Aren't you the _least_ bit curious?"

I stood my ground. "Forget it, Dude! There is NO way you're _experimenting_ on my baby!"

"Not _experementing_!" He explained. "More like testing. To see how her genes and chromosomes work. Maybe we can find out any side effects, or prevent anything from going wrong."

I folded my arms over my chest. "You are _not_ tampering with her genes! She's perfect the way she is!"

Mason spoke up. "I actually don't think its a bad idea." My jaw dropped when I looked at him.

"Are you crazy?" I demanded. "Justin? Testing on her? In case you haven't noticed, he's no scientist!"

"Think about it, Alex. She's obviously different to a degree that we don't know what could happen next. It's not like we can take her to a doctor. She would be poked and prodded and kept in a cage for her whole life!" He took my hand when I refused to look him in the eye. "For her safety."

I looked at the three of them, then at Leah. She was happily giggling and talking to Mom, Harper, and Max. My heart hurt a little on the inside just _thinking_ about it. I glanced at Mason. He glanced back at me.

Mason and I stared at each other for the longest time. I was determind to stand my ground. We both knew that if I even looked in his eyes for half a second, he would win. He was naturally pursuasive. You would think that after seven years of being together, I'd build up an immuneity to his unfair way of influencing me. Sadly, that was way off. In order to stand my ground, I focused on his right eyebrow instead.

We continued to stare at each other, both our minds racing in opposite directions. I pushed my lips together, trying not to crack a smile. He knew I wouldn't be able to last in the silence much longer, I could feel it.

"Guys?" Dad asked. I silenced him with a raise of my index finger.

I stared and stared until my eyes were burning. I slightly fluttered my eyelids, hoping that he wouldn't notice. He did.

"You blinked." He informed me, cracking a very cute smile. I'm not sure why, but that sent me into a loud laughing fit. And I do mean _loud_.

I rocked back and forth in my chair, clutching my stomach in pain. I honestly had no idea what I was laughing at, but for a good five minutes, I was swinging my legs under the table, getting the bigget kick out of myself. Before I knew it, I had toppled out opf my chair and continued to laugh as I rolled in the floor.

Leah instantly hopped out of her seat and brought me a glass of water. Mason and Harper helped me to my feet. I sat back in my seat and wiped the tears out of my eyes My cheeks were sore and my face was probably as red as a firetruck. I gasped for air as I chugged the water down,

"Phew!" I exclaimed, trying to muffle my laughter. Mason rubbed my back, trying his best to keep a sstraight face.

"Breathe, Love!" he chuckled. I finally calmed down as best as I could. I sat in silence for about half a second. I layed my head on the table, giggling like an idiot to myself.

"So? Do you want to go through with it?" Justin finally asked after I quieted down. I stopped laughing and sighed. I didn't like the idea, not one little bit. It made me shudder just thinking about it. I didn't want to put my little lovebug through that. I didn't want to make her feel more like a freak than she already probably did after the past few little incidents. I couldn't. But, on the other hand, it would be nice to help us understand more of what she is. For the past three days, millions of questions flooded my mind. Like, how did thst happen? Could that be dangerous? Could someone get hurt? Why is this happening so soon? It would be nice to answer some of those, to ease my mind a little.

"Fine," I agreed reluctantly. "But no surgeries, no chemical reactions, no wack-a-doodle machine thingys, and no lasers. Got it?"

"Got it," Justin smiled. "But, one more thing."

Mason and I exchanged glances. "What?" Mason asked.

"I might need to take samples from you guys, too." He informed. My heart stopped. I had _never _been good at the doctor's. Especially, _needles._

**XxXxXxXxX**

I had to say, Leah did a lot better with getting samples taken than I thought she would. She did a heck of a lot better than I did, that's for sure. Mason, on the other hand, was completely casual.

Cheek samples? No biggie.

Spit? I still don't see the point, but no problamo.

Drawing blood? ...Mason flintched. Leah cried just a little. I...

"Alex! You _bit_ me!" Justin wailed, examining the pink double-cresent bite mark on his arm. He pulled the empty needle away from me.

"Sorry!" I replied, feeling very childish. I coundn't help it. I was pretty sure I was needliphobic. Even in high school. Yep, the rebel, dilinquet, tough as nails with a slight girly side, Miss too-cool-to-care Russo, was petrified of a tiny little needle. "You came on too fast!" I explained.

Dad shook his head and laughed. "Man, when she first showed signs of hating the doctor, I figured she'd outgrow it by 5th grade!"

"How did she show signs?" Leah asked curiously.

Dad howled with laughter. "Well, right after she was born, the nurse tried to take a blood sample."

"What'd she do?"

"When she pulled out the needle, your momma kicked her right in the face!" Dad slapped his knee and buried his head in his hands, trying to lessen the laughter. I shot him a red hot glare as the entire room laughed.

"Remember back in fourth grade when she had to get a flu shot?" Harper laughed, and looked at Leah, "I said she could sqeeze my hand if it hurt. _I_ ended up having to go to the doctor, for a broken _thumb_!"

"Really?" Leah asked me, giggling away.

"Yep," I sighed, "And the same thing happened in eleventh grade, only I broke her _wrist_!"

Mason was laughing the loudest. He looked at me, as if to send me a silent message. _Message recieved._

"Mason, you are _not_ gonna tell them-" I started.

"Oh you should've seen her when Leah was born, and they had to hook herup to an IV!" He laughed.

"And, he's telling them." I said silently.

"They brought out the IV and she instantly started shaking! When they held up the needle and grabbed her hand to put it in, she was literally _kicking and screaming_ and _begging_ them not to! I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't have it!" I gave him a death glare.

"I _don't_ like needles." I informed them. Mason put his arm around me.

"On the bright side, Love, I'm sure that the nurses and doctors had a wonderful story to tell to their familes," He smiled. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Mason. I'm sure a nineteen-year-old having a tantrum right before childbirth because she didn't want a shot was most definatly the talk of the household for a month." I sneered.

"It was at our house," he smiled. I rolled my eyes as he kissed my cheek.

"Sorry to interupt," Justin stated, after securely wrapping his 'injury' in a bandage, "but Alex, I need to take a blood sample from you. Do you think you can manage without me loosing a finger?"

I looked up at him, and then the needle rested in his hand. I sighed. "Okay," I agreed weakly. "But I can't promise that you'll walk away without a scratch."

I sat crisscross on the white table in Justin's old room (where we had been testing) and lifted Leah into my lap. I was hoping that she would help, since she always managed to calm me down. I covered my eyes with my free hand as Justin approached us. I whimpered softly into Mason's shoulder. My lower lip quivered when I felt my brother's hand grab my arm. My whimper quickly evolved into a bawl. I squeezed my eyes shut.

And then, nothing happened.

I reopened my eyes after about a minute. "Justin, stop taunting me! Just get it over with!"

"I'm done." He replied.

I lifted my head up. "What?"

"I'm done. See?" he held up the tiny container on the back of the shot, which was solid red. My stomach felt slightly queaser.

Leah looked up at me with a dazzling smile.

_"You're welcome,"_ she whispered.

**I had soo much fun with this chapter!(: please review! I love hearing your opinions:D I have a new idea for a one-shot, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna go through with it. *shrugs* thanks for reading!:D**

**-Shay:)**


	12. Wondering

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 12- Wondering_

_**Author's Note:**__ HEY:) sorry for the hold up! I had plans, then I was really busy, then...I got bored...writer's block kicked in...yeah, the whole shaboozle. Sorry again! But now I'm back on track! Love you all! C:_

**3rd Person POV**

Justin Russo quickly adjusted the zoom position of his shiny silver microscope. He closed his right eye, then alternated to the left, making sure to get a good look at the sample in front of him.

"Uncle Justin?" a small voice asked. He spun around in surprise, then caught his breath. It was only little Leah.

"Oh, goodness, kiddo. I didn't know you where here!"

"I just got here," she smiled.

"How'd you get in here so fast?" he asked. "and so quietly? I didn't hear the door open."

"I poofed right in!" she giggled, very pleased with herself. She lowered her voice. "But don't tell Momma and Daddy; I'm not 'apposed to use magic until we 'sort things out'." She did a near-perfect impression of Mason's accent with the last part. Justin laughed.

"Alright, just between you and me. But be warned: I'm a known tattletale," he snickered. Leah rolled her eyes.

"So whacha working on?" she asked curiously, stepping towards his work table. She climbed into the lab chair to get a better view.

Not wanting to phsyce her out, he covered the lense with his palm. "Just checking out some stuff for work," he said quickly.

"But you're a principal." she pointed out.

"My first career choice was a scientist," he replied. Leah gave him a skeptical glance. She raised her eyebrow, looking exactly like her mother.

"Ah." She replied. Justin knew by the look on her face that she saw right through him.

"Justin?" Alex called from outside of the lair. "Is Leah in there?"

_"I'm not here!"_ Leah declared. She leaped over the couch.

"Um," he studdered. He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to rat his niece out. Crossroads. "She's..."

"Open the door!" She demanded. Remembering that she no longer had access to the lair, he obayed. Alex quickly stepped in and glanced at his work table. She settled in the brown recliner. "Find anything out yet?" she questioned.

"Not much," he replied. "Biology is harder than it looks, you know."

"Well I _would_ know, of all people," she sneered. "I failed Biology twice."

"Exactly."

Alex adjusted her position to where her legs hung over the armrest. "How much longer do you plan on working on this? It's been an hour!"

"As long as it takes," he replied, a tone of stress in his voice.

Alex sighed. "Whatever. Have you seen Leah? We need to be heading home soon."

"Haven't seen her," he replied, loud enough for Leah to hear. He motioned to the couch. Alex smiled.

"Oh, what a shame. I was just coming to tell her that Aunt Harper made cookies," she dramatically started towards the door, "I guess I'll have to eat them all!"

Leah's little head popped up at an instant. "I'm here! I'm here! I want a cookie!" she cried. She impulsively vanished into thin air. A split second later, she was at Alex's side. Alex jumped.

"Oh, gosh!" she exclaimed, catching her breath. She gave her daughter a puzzled glance. "Leah? How did you do that?"

"I dunno," she replied, "I wanted a cookie, and I wanted to hurry up before you ate them all, and now here i am!"

"So you just wanted something to happen, and it just...happened?" She asked.

"I guess so," Leah shrugged. She shook it off and bursted into a skip. "Lets go!"

Alex, still in shock, pulled her back by her elbow. She glanced at her brother, completely blown away. "She didn't even use a spell." They exchanged glances.

Leah folded her arms over her chest. "What?" she asked.

Justin snapped out of it. "Nothing! Nothing. Why don't you two go have some cookies? You know Poppy will eat them all if they're left out."

Alex shook it off. "Yeah! And if Poppy doesn't finish them off, _Daddy_ will," she took her daughter's hand.

"Okay.." Leah replied. She still was unsure of the situation, but went along with it. They raced out of the lair.

**Alex's POV**

"This still makes no sense," I told Mason the next morning as I paced around the living room. I ran my fingers through my hair. "She phased the night before last, but she didn't tonight! Aren't werewolves supposed to phase every night?"

"That's usually how it works," he replied.

"Then why didn't she?"

"Darling, I don't know."

"But what if something's wrong with her? What if from getting her powers so early, it just pushed the werewolf part down? So now its just bottled up inside her, just waiting to unleash? What if when she gets so mad one day, it'll all burst out? Then it happens whenever she gets upset? We'll be forced to give her her way everytime she wants something! She'll turn into a spoiled brat! And then if we try to control her, she'll go _'don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry!'_? What if-"

Mason grabbed my by the hand and sat me down on the couch. "First of all, this is our daughter, not the Incredible Hulk. Second of all, you need to _breathe_. You know we won't let that happen." He kissed my hand. "I promise, Alex. It's going to be fine."

I cracked a smile. "It kills me how you can stay so optimistic."

He smiled back. "Maybe you need to take some lessons." I rolled my eyes and yawned. We had both been stuck having to get up once every hour the night before to check on Leah, not wanting her to go all werewolf while she was alone. She may be very understanding of her surroundings, but we had to remember, she's still just a five year old girl. So far, no sign of phasing; not a single hair was different.

We both jumped at the sound of the phone. I dashed to the kitchen to answer. "Hello?" I asked.

"How was Leah last night?" Justin asked with a worried tone.

"Um," I began, "she didn't change."

"What?"

"She didn't change at all last night. We even went and checked on her every hour. Nothing." I twirled the cord around my finger. "Did you find out anything?"

"Quite a bit. It's kind of amazing."

"Yeah," I smiled. I grinned at Leah, who had finally woke up from her hibernation and was now settling herself in her daddy's lap. "She is."

"Would you guys mind coming over?" He asked.

"Sure. We can disscuss this over lunch." I smirked.

"Very official," he laughed.

"Hello?" a voice interupted, "Mario's?"

"Max!" Justin and I exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh! You guys finally got caller ID? Cool! I'll take two large with pepperoni and mushrooms."

"Seriously, Max?" Justin asked. I covered my mouth to hide my laughter.

"Justin? What are you doing at Mario's?"

"I'm not, genius! I'm using the _other_ home phone! And, you didn't even dial a number."

"Then who are you talking to?"

"Uh, me?" I reminded him.

"Oh. Hey me!" he laughed, "wait, me's not a girl. Me's a dude. Alex is that you?"

"Good job, bro." I rolled my eyes, "Nothing's faster than you."

"I get that alot." He replied smoothly. "Well, I'm gonna just walk to Mario's. Bye!"

"Make that three large! Pinnapple on the third!" I ordered.

"Got it!" He told me. "Hey, are you guys coming over today? Leah and I have a rematch on Donkey Kong to do. That kid is BEAST at video games."

"She learned from the best," I smiled, hinting to myself. "We'll be over in a bit. Bye guys."

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know with a review!:)**

**Ps: my 15th birthday's coming up...12 days, to be exact, not that I'm counting or anything;) you know what'd be a great present? Follow my twitter!:) **_**ohSnap_itzShay**_

**Ps(again): if you have any ideas or questions about this that you're dying to know, send them to me on twitter! Tag **_**#AMTHGF**_** (Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder) and I'll be super happy to answer! I check twitter about 80 times a day, so don't be shy! :D**

**-Shay**


	13. Big Girls Don't Cry

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 13 - Big Girls Don't Cry_

_**Author's Note:**__ I'll hopefully be updating more often, now that I'm slightly over my writer's block...enjoy:)_

**Alex's POV**

As much as I hate Biology, as well as any other school subject, discovering all this information about Leah was really interesting.

Apperently, mine and Mason's chromosomes seemed to blend together. Taking half of my wizard genes, and half of his werewolf genes, and putting them together to create Leah, or a "Werezard" as Max named her. The funny thing is, different side effects cancelled each other out. Like, her magic genes caused her to phase five years early. And, the phasing unleashed (ha, _unleash_. Using that term when Mason is in the subject cracks me up! Haha, ha, you see, _this_ is why I'll never grow up.) anyway, the phasing unleashed her magic at an early age, too. Her magic also keeps her from phasing every night. Instead, she phases once a month. Justin predicts that it will increase as she gets older, but whatever. The bad side effect is that using magic tires her out easily.(Justin and Dad have started on her wizards lessons, and she's ready for a nap after a 10 minute lesson. On the bright side, she's a heck of a lot easier to get in bed at night!)

And, as far as the whole "When a mix werewolf kisses a non-werewolf they turn into a werewolf" thing, sooo not true. I guess magic's got Leah covered then.

As for the rest, only heaven knows. But now, we need to focus on the more important things. For example...

"Momma, why do I have to go to bed _now?_" Leah begged as she bounced on the pink loveseat in her room.

"Cause I said so." I smiled. I attempted to grab her, but she cannonballed into the floor, dashing to her toybox. "Why are you so hyper?"

"I dunno," she giggled.

"Did Nonna give you candy?"

"Nope."

"Did you raid Poppy's sugar stash again?"

"Not this time."

"Then why-" I began, then I froze. "Did you get a canned drink from the fridge over there?"

"Maybe."

"What color was this can?"

"Silver, blue, with red writing."

"Do you remember what the writing said?"

Leah smiled and nodded.

"Leah? What did it say?"

She gave me a big grin. "RED BULL!"

I died a little inside. As mature and legit Leah could be at times, you have to take into consideration that she's still a five year old with ADHD. All of that, topped with a Red Bull, never ends well. Never.

_"I'm going to kill Max." _I muttered to myself. I snatched her into my arms as she made a break for it. She wiggled at first, then laughed. I smiled and flopped her on her bed.

Leah finally settled after a fifteen minute tickle war. She let out a tiny yawn.

"Told you you were tired," I smiled.

"A little," she yawned again.

"That's why it's bed time." I tucked her in her pink and purple covers and kissed her on the cheek. "Night lovebug." I grinned as I headed towards the door.

"Momma?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"Will you sing to me?"

I smiled and started back towards her bed. "Any requests?"

"You Are My Sunshine." she smiled.

"Fine." I smiled back. I settled on her bed as she rested her head in my lap.

_"You are my sunshine,"_ I sang softly and slowly as I rubbed her back.

_"My only sunshine,_

_You make me happy,_

_When skies are gray,_

_You'll never know, dear,_

_How much I love you,_

_Please don't take my sunshine away."_ I looked down at my daughter, who was already asleep with a smile on her face. I moved her head back to her pillow and softly shut her door.

"That took longer than usual," Mason smirked. He, as a werewolf, was settled on the couch, with a cookie in his hand.

"Yeah, remind me to murder Max tomorrow," I sighed. I settled on the couch next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. He took a bite of his cookie.

"Have I ever told you you're a _wonderful_ cook?" He smiled.

"Honey, thoughs are storebought."

He smirked. "Well you're a wonderful buyer of cookies."

"Nice save," I rolled my eyes and kissed him on the cheek. We continued to talk and laugh until a flash of white light interupted.

Mason was instantly on his feet. "What was that?" he demended.

"I don't know." I replied. "It's probably lightning or something."

Then, a second flash. Only this time, it was purple.

I jumped to my feet. "Okay, it's probably not lightning." Before he could reply, the room filled with white smoke. We coughed violently until it began to fade.

"Mason Graybeck? Alex Russo?" I scruffy voice called. Alex _Russo._ Hmpf. Haven't heard that in a while.

"Alex _Graybeck_," I corrected, rubbing my watery eyes. I finally opened them and glanced at Mason. He was completely frozen.

_"Uh oh."_ He whispered. I looked up. I fanned away the smoke, revealing a very angry, but familiar face. _Professor Crumbs._

"Yeah,_ uh oh._" I replied.

"Wizard Violation 231: Werewolf-Mortal relationship. Alex, Mason, _You're under arrest._"

_**Big uh oh! What's gonna happen? Ch 14 coming soon!**_

**Twitter: **_ohSnap_itzShay._ **Follow me, and I'll give you a mind hug:)**


	14. Stay Strong

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

_Chapter 14 - Stay Strong_

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading! Y'all are the best! :)

**Alex's POV**

My heart stopped. Those words that I had always been afraid of, but never though I would actually hear, replayed in my mind over and over again. _You're under arrest._ I've always been a rebel, and it never bothered me, but hearing those words made my whole body go limp. I felt dizzy, ready to faint.

"Momma? What's going on?" I heard a voice speak up from the smoke. My heart dropped. Professor Crumbs and the Wizard police spun around in surprise. Leah clutched her stuffed hippo; eyes full of fright and confusion.

"What is _this?_" one of the wizards demanded angerly, glaring at Leah, then at me.

I regained my strength at that last comment. "_This_ is my _daughter_, thank you very much." I retorted, very smart alec-y.

Professor Crumbs's eyes widened. He studied her for a moment. Leah stared back. He looked at one of the wizards. The wizard nodded.

"This is completely unheard of!" Crumbs noted. "What's _worse_ than the law broken, is the fact that this child is _crossbred_!"

Mason glared at him instantly. "Crossbred? So? There are hundreds of half-werewolf half-mortal wolves around the world! They actually take up sixty-seven precent of our population!"

"I am aware of that, Mason. But you see, this child is also a wizard. Do you know how potentially dangerous this creature is?"

"_Creature?"_ I demanded. That name struck me hard. "Does she look like a _creature_ to you?"

"Things aren't always as they seem, Ms Russo."

"Graybeck." I corrected.

"That's not helping for your sake, Alex."

I shut my mouth angerly, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

"No matter," Crumbs continued, "this will not stand. I will see you in Wizard Court in seven days." without another word, he was gone.

One of the other wizards grabbed Mason by the wrist. Alarmed, Mason pinned her to the ground. She instantly let out a surprised squeak. "What do you think you're doing?" Mason demanded.

"Y-y-you're required t-to wear these w-w-wrist cuffs, s-sir," she studdered nervously, her bright eyes full of fright. "So P-professor Crumbs can make sure y-you don't mm-make an escape for the time b-b-being, sir." I glanced at her. She was young; probably around sixteen.

"Just do what she says, Mason," I sighed.

"Sorry," Mason muttered as he helped her back to her feet. She nervously locked the black cuff on his wrist. Another officer, a buff man probably in his thirties, placed a smaller one on Leah's. He tried to put on mine, but my terret-like reflexes made me impulsively elbow him in the gut. He let out an _"oof"_ in surprise.

"I've got it," I grumbled angerly, snatching the cuff out of his hand and hesitantly snapping it on my wrist. He raised an eyebrow, but sighed and poofed out of the house along with the other wizards. The young girl Mason attacked gave me a sorrow glance. She was the only one left. She started to pull out her wand to leave.

"Wait," I stopped her. Her eyes widened. I pulled Leah onto my hip. "Can you explain what's going on?"

She put her shiny blue wand back in her jacket pocket and sighed. "A month ago, a new portal opened up. When a portal opens, it emidiately show up on the WWWM, the _World Wide Wizard Map._ It shows where every portal is located in the entire world."

Mason folded his arms over his chest. "What does that have to do with us?" he asked concerningly.

"Well, A wizard portal only opens the day that a wizard recieves his or her powers," she explained. "But we didn't know of any other wizards in that area. That's when Professor Crumbs found out that you two were still together, which, werewolf-mortal relationships are illegal. So, he was seriously ticked."

"What does that have to do with Leah?" I asked.

"No one's ever heard of a wizard-werewolf crossbred child," she continued. "It's never been done."

"But there are plently of wizard-werewolf relationships, because it's legal."

"But those relationships couldn't have kids," she explained, "something about the genes crossing together doesn't work, I don't know, but it's impossible. Which is why Crumbs flipped out about your daughter."

"Then how did-" I asked in surprise. I may be mortal now, but I do have wizard blood, which means my kids one day would be wizards. But that didn't make sense. Leah is half wizard, half werewolf, and yet, she _is_ here.

And then, it hit me.

"My mom's a mortal." I breathed. "Full-on mortal."

The girl gasped. "Then maybe that's why, what's-her-name, is here! The human trait!"

"Leah. Leah is what's-her-name." Leah corrected in third person.

"Then, that's how Leah was born! She's a wizard, a werewolf, and a human! All in one! That makes sense!"

Mason spoke up. "What doesn't make sense, um,"

"Okay, what doesn't make sense, Hannah, is that, why are you explaining all these things to us when you're just helping turn us in?" Mason raised an eyebrow at her.

"Believe me, I'm totally against it. You guys are _known_ around the Wizard World for your story. You fell in love. You lost each other. You found each other again, only to learn that neither of you had fallen in love with anyone else. You almost lost each other again. Then Alex lost the Competition, but instead of separating, you stayed together, no matter what anyone said or did. You guys have a lot of courage, but you're living proof that true love is unstoppable." she smiled, making her bright blue eyes sparkle. "I heard your story about a year ago, and I instantly fell in love with it."

Mason and I exchanged glances. This girl replayed the first two years of us in under three minutes. I cracked a tiny smile.

"Professor Crumbs has lost it. He can't separate you two, especially now that Leah's in the subject. I may be kind of crazy, spazztic, and awkward in some cases, but I always stand up for what I believe in." She pulled the silver police star off her jacket and threw it on the floor. "I'm on your side."

***GUYS! I seriously can't believe that I broke 10,000 hits! (I don't know if that's a little or a lot compared to other stories, but I'm excited right now!:) you guys are unreal. I'm seriously close to tears. Thank you all:)**

**Remember: If you have any questions about the story, serious or completely random, use the hashtag ****#AMTHGF**** and I will reply instantly. I live on twitter, so I **_**do**_** mean **_**instantly.**_

**xx, Shay :)**


	15. Alex's Flashback

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 15 - Alex's Flashback

**Author's Note: **This chapter is mostly Alex in a flashback of all of her and Mason's biggest milestones. Not really a story in this chapter, but you still need to read it. It has some info that you might need for future chapters:)

**Alex's POV**

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse...ha. Lesson learned: when you decide to break the rules, you better be ready to face the concequences. Karma has a funny sense of humor, which more than often comes back to bite you in the butt.

The biggest scheme I had ever came up with was the idea of running away with Mason. It was also one of the best ideas I had ever had. It gave me what I had wanted since the day I met him: a happily ever after. I was never the type of girl who believed in fairy tales. They were all too girly and prissy and never worked out in real life. Then, I met Mason. Something clicked in my mind the first time I looked in his eyes. The first time our hands touched, it sent an exhilarating shock of lightning from my hand, to my feet, and back up to my head. During our first kiss, a million fireworks set off in my head all at once; nearly twice as much as Disney World's fourth of July display. Mason was the first guy that I said "I love you" to, the only guy I ever cried over, and the only one who had _ever_ seen me cry. He was my entire world.

When he had to leave, I locked myself in my room for over a month. My heart was shattered. I remained in my room with a magic spell lock, so no one could bother me. By then, I was completely dried out of tears. But I knew that if someone attempted to _make me feel better,_ my wall would crack, and the flood would burst. Future Harper's words burned in the back of my mind. _"Has Mason broken up with you already?"_ I finally made that connection, which made it even worse. Right then, i vowed to never love anyone else ever again.

Harper really used the best friend card in the deck of life after I left my room. It took about two weeks, but she brought me back to life. I was up and pranking and causing chaos like nothing had ever happened; I even asked George to the homecoming dance. But that was on the outside. It didn't work out with George, and I didn't want it to. My heart was still broken.

Over the next few months, I remained single. That wasn't much of a surprise. When guys went out of their way to ask me out, there had to be something special about them. Not a lot of guys wanted girls like me. If they did, it was for my looks, and then they would dump me when they got to know me. On the outside, I could be classified as mean, rebelistic, critical, brutally honest, a liar, exedra. But on the inside, I was fragile, caring, and easily hurt. I never let _anyone_ see that side of me. Until Mason...

Mason was the only one who ever saw that side of me. He saw me cry, he saw me afraid, every emotion everyone thought I was born without, he saw it. And he still stuck with me through my better and my worse. That day I saw him as a wolf on that teeny tiny yellow tv, I knew that true love was meant to be, and nothing could stop destiny. (Ha! That rhymed! I'm a poet and I didn't know it! Now that was a crime of rhymes. Wow, that was lame; I'm ashamed. Urg!) Although I denied it at every chance I had, but I never lost hope that he would come back for me. Our love was stronger than that. I never stopped. When he was changed back into a human, for the first time in seven months, my heart healed. I smiled wider than a kid on Christmas morning. I was in his arms, and I felt safe.

When Justin won the competition, the same feeling when Mason left reappeared. We were both in total shock. Neither of us were expecting that. It was the worst feeling inside that I had ever felt. While Justin and my family celebrated, Mason as I sat in the field in silence. I had my head resting on his shoulder, biting my lip in hopes to stop the tears. Neither of us knew what to say. We sat in awkward silence, pulling grass out of the field, until he finally spoke up.

"Love?" He asked quietly. That was it. The way he called me _Love _was enough to make my heart crack. I instantly broke down crying into his shoulder. I cried and cried and cried for the longest time. I looked up at him to see that he was quietly crying too. I cried softly as he lifted me into his lap. He kissed the top of my head and cradled me like a baby as we cried together, slowly rocking back and forth.

He lifted his head and looked at my family. He looked back at me.

"Alex, how much do you love me?" he asked softly.

"More than anything in this world." I replied with a sniffle.

"And you know I love you even more than that?"

"Of course."

"Then I have a plan."

"What is it?"

He looked deeply into my eyes. I gazed back into his. A small smile spread across his face. _"Run away with me."_

Okay so, I lied. Technically, I didn't come up with the scheme: he did. But it was still the best scheme I had ever agreed to. After Leah was born, I couldn't have been happier. I had an amazing and loving husband that loved me for well, me. And I had the most beautiful daughter that was like both of us in every way. What more could I had asked for? That's correct. _A nightmare._

In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think about the negative. Once a pessimist, always a pessimist.

And now, the worst nightmare that I could ever dream of, was my reality. We have six more days until the trial. And if it turns out anything like the one Justin and I had YEARS ago, this will not end well.

On our side, we had my family: Justin, Mom, Dad, Max, Harper, Mason, Leah, and me. We had Hannah, the young ex-wizard police officer, and a few of Mason's cousins that came as soon as they got the call: Jeremy, Bastion, and Will. We didn't have much, but it was all we had.

If something went wrong, they couldn't kill us, right? I had never heard of a wizard death penalty. Then again, I don't know much about wizard court. The worst they could do to us was lock us up, but that's me and Mason. What about Leah? She's not dangerous or anything. She can control her werewolf side better than Mason can, and her powers, sort of. She's only had a handful of lessons. On the other hand, she's two broken laws in one. What would they do to her? Only Heaven knows.

xXxXxXxXx

At first, I decided not to let Justin play lawyer for us. Leah's fate was depending on it, and due to the fact that he made _himself_ admit to his own guilt last time, the chance was just too risky. Then based on the fact that my only other options were Max, Mason, myself, or a lawyer Professor Crumbs chooses which failed miserably last time, I finally agreed to it. Plus, he was the only wizard out of all of us, so maybe we'd get some brownie points or something for having a proper wizard lawyer.

Mason's cousins were a big help to our side. If anything were to get ugly, werewolves know how to fight. Also, they're pretty good guys. They're really funny and everyone in the house gets along with them.

Will is the oldest. He's seven hundred and sixt-two, but he looks a little younger than thirty. He's the leader of their little pack.

Mason would be second in command, but he's no longer a member of the pack. You see, in werewolf logics, all werewolf families are called packs, and they age a year every seven to fifty years. Often, some werewolfs leave their pack. But when he makes a commitment to "THE pack" (the pack he was chosen by destiny to be with), he becomes the age that he actually looks, and ages like a normal person. Apperently, _I_ am _THE_ Pack, so his commitment to me (marrying me) made all that stuff official. See? I told you we were meant to be together:). All in all, Mason was four hundred and six, but now he's about twenty-six. It doesn't make much sense, but it works for me.

Jeremy is next. He looks about twenty on the outside. He's probably the buffest of the pack, but he's also the comedian. He instantly took a liking to all of us, especially Max. They've had fourteen spitting contests off the terrace since they arrived yesterday. Believe me, Leah's kept count.

Then there's the baby of the pack: Bastion. He's barely one hundred and looks about fifteen. Leah instantly grew attatched to him. She follows him everywhere and calls him Uncle Bazzy. We all end up calling him that every once in a while. Bazzy's okay with it though. He heard our story and felt protective of Leah, like a big brother figure.

It's not much, but it's all we have. Maybe with a stroke of luck, we could win this thing. If not, we have to make this week last longer than humanly possible. This could be the last week with my family. This could be my last week with Mason and Leah, the two most important people in my life. In the worst possible scenerio, _this could be the last week of my life._

**This chapter took me FOREVER to write! So I hope you guys like it:) I finally decided what happens in the end, but who knows when that will happen? So, leave a review with how YOU would make it end! Shout out to whoever has the most creative guess! :)**

**Ps: I've had some people tell me that they can't find me on twitter. That bugged me, so I changed my username. it is now the same one as it is here: **_**ShayDenney311**_** follow me for updates, hints, and randomness! I love you all:)**


	16. Magic Carpet Ride

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 16 - Magic Carpet Ride

**Author's note: **Thank you guys for all the feedback! Y'all are the best! :)

Shout out to Saphire01 (SellyGregg via twitter) for coming up with the most creative ending! :)

**Hannah's POV**

"Do you know _anything _at all about the trial?" Mason asked me, interupting my daydream as I stared off into space. I snapped out of it instantly. I was sitting at the Russo's bar between Will and Justin while everyone else sat at the table. Besides Mason, who was pacing in a circle. Bastion was keeping Leah entertained with a card game on the couch.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Did you have access to information on us or the trial?"

I gave him a skeptical glance. "I was a volunteer junior officer, not a Russian spy. They don't tell us these things! Apperently, teenagers are too talkative and easily distracted to handle information- did you know that if you hook up your wand to your iPod, it works as a speaker? I didn't!"

"Uno!" Leah cried joyfully, waving the back of her card in her sighing opponent's face.

"Is it even possible to be beaten this many times by a five year old?" Bastion groaned, hitting his head on the side of the couch.

"Calm down, Bazzy. You haven't lost yet!" She glanced at the lopsided pile. With an evil grin, she slapped her card on top. _"Now_ you have!"

"Whatever," he scoffed. "Rematch!"

"Fine. But we're playing Slap Jack this time."

"You can't play Slap Jack with Uno cards, Leah," he informed her.

"Watch me," she grinned. She placed all the cards in her little hand, squeezed her eyes shut, and with a flash of light, they magically transformed into standard playing cards. She smiled and proudly offered them to Bazzy.

"Leah," Alex began, resting her hands on her hips.

"I know, I know: _no magicoutside the lair unless there's an emergency."_ She sighed.

"Good. Where were we, Mason?"

Mason turned to Justin. "Do you think there might be a loophole? Somewhere? Or a way to bend around the rules?"

Justin Looked up from his spellbook. "A loophole? In Wizard court? Ha!" He laughed a sarcastic laugh, then turned serious. "Believe me, magic is very strict and serious, not as free and willy nilly as _someone_ made it seem." All eyes imediately turned to Alex.

"What? What's everyone looking at _me_ for?" she demanded, then shrugged. "Okay, fine. Point taken. But still; there's still got to be a way out of this."

"I don't know. I just wish we knew what was going on over there. I really think Crumbs overreacted," he sighed.

"The man with the beard is mad." Leah said softly as she dealed her cards. Justin's head snapped up.

"What did you just say?" he asked her, climbing out of his seat.

"I said the man with the beard is mad," she repeated. She paused. "And now he broke a pencil."

"What man with the beard?" Mason asked concerningly.

"I don't know his name." She stamped her hand on the deck. "Slap Jack!"  
Alex toppled off her seat and dashed to her daughter's side. "What does he look like?"

Leah organized her card stack. She stared down, like she was trying to remember something. "He's got wrinkles, like my hands after I've been swimming all day. Those are all over him. He's got on a purpleish robe, and he's got crumbs in his beard. Brownie crumbs, I think- Slap Jack! Ha!"

Mason and Alex exchanged glances.

_"Proffessor Crumbs,"_ we said in unison.

"Could she be making it up?" Will asked, "She's in kindergarden, after all." Hmpf. Obviously he didn't know her well enough. True, I met Leah just a day before he did, but they're relatives, after all.

"What does the room he's in look like?" Mason asked.

"Slap Jack!"

"Leah!" Alex demanded. "What does the room look like?"

"One second!" She flipped over a seven. Bazzy flipped over a Jack, but didn't even flinch.

"No fair! Your let me win!"

Alex spun her daughter around to face her. _"Leah Nicole Graybeck."_ she grabbed her wrists and met her at eye level. "This is very important. What does the room the beard man is in look like?"

Leah froze. She silenced the whole room without a single word. Her face read concentration. She remained completely motionless, unlike her typical bouncy and happy self. It was as if she was someplace else.

"The room is a dark wood, but its shiney and glossy. It's got three tall windows: ceiling to the floor. Stained windows. They are night sky blue with yellow stars. The sun shines through the stars, like a glow stick. There's a big blue desk in the middle of the room, in front of a big blue and gold chair. And there's a big painting on the wall; it looks like beard man, only there's less wrinkles." She snapped back to earth and glanced at Alex.

I think my mouth was dropped lower than anyone else's in the room (and Justin's was like, to the floor!). I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed.

"There's no way she's making that up, I told them. Everyone turned to me. "She just described Professor Crumb's office, _perfectly._"

Mason leaned on the couch, glaning in unison with Alex at their daughter.

"Leah?" Mason asked, taking her hand. "Where do you see the beard man?"

"In my head."

Everyone exchanged glances with the person next to them. Alex turned white.

"What's he doing now?" Jerry asked her.

She studied the ceiling for a minute. "Another man is there. He's wearing a dress!" she laughed.

"What does it look like?"

"Its long and blue with gold stars." she twirled her long braid around her finger. "And he has weird brown hair and glasses."

I snapped my fingers. "Chancellor Tootietootie!" I told them.

"What are they doing?" Mason asked.

"They're just talking. The dress man opened a drawer in the desk. It has our last name on the front."

Alex, who looked about ready to faint, snapped her head up. She glanced at Leah in astonishment. She turned to Mason.

"Can you see what it says?"

She froze solid, as if she were a statue. She was competely still and silent. Her mouth was moving slightly, like she was mouthing something. Her eyes, which were open, zipped back and forth rapidly fast, like she was searching for something.

_"Graybeck, Mason; Russo, Alexandra; Graybeck, Leah."_ I noticed that Alex tensed up at _Russo_. Nobody seemed to be able to get that right. _"Charged twice. Wereolf/mortal relationship and severely crossbred offspring."_

"How on Earth can she see that?" Harper asked.

"I think I know." Jerry realized. "Alex, Mason, do you remember when I told you about great wizards getting their powers early?"

"And that the greatest wizards have special gifts?" Mason finnished.

"Right. I think Leah might have the gift of _astral projection."_

"What's that?" Leah asked.

"Astral projection is where someone can see things at a different location perfectly as if they were actually there, like they left their bodies temporarily." Justin explained. "I think you might be right."

"Lets test it." Jerry replied. He turned to his younger son, who was counting the freckles on his arm. "Max, quick. Go hide somewhere upstairs, make it as difficut as possible!"

"Done," he jumped out of his seat. "Don't know why, don't care why, going with it." He started off at the stairs.

"We're testing out Leah's-"

"Dad, I really don't care why." We waited in silence for about five minutes, until we heard a faint: _"Ready!"_

"Okay, Leah, see if you can find Uncle Max like you did beard man!" Alex told her.

Leah looked at the ceiling again. We waited until she spoke up.

"He's in Momma's bathroom, crammed under the sink," she said.

"Dude! Where are you?" Alex shouted.

_"Under your sink! And there's a rubber spider next to me!" _He replied remarkably. _"Now it's moving! WAIT. Rubber doesn't move. _GUYS!"

"Am I done now?" Leah asked. "My head's hurting a little."

"Sure, sweetie," Alex pulled her into her lap and rested her chin on her head.

"She definately has a gift," Jerry smiled. "Limited, but that might just be her age."

xXxXxXxXx

**Alex's POV**

"What if Plan A doesn't work?" I asked Justin as I ran my fingers through Leah's hair.

"Then we use Plan B," Jeremy answered for him with a smug smile.

"Do we even have a Plan B?"

"Sure we do. When all else fails, B stands for a good old fashion Butt-kicking!" he punched the air with a snicker and propped his feet on the coffee table. Dad pushed them off with a sigh.

"Okay, as much as I'd _love_ to see that," I pitched, "I don't think violence is the best idea in Wizard court."

Hannah snapped her fingers. "I've got an idea for plan C!" she hopped off the bar stool. "We need to keep Leah as safe as possible. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen, or for A to backfire, right?"

"Didn't we _just_ have this conversation?" I rasied an eyebrow.

"What I'm saying is that we need to make her so irrisistably innocent that they'll bend the rules. I mean, who can resist this face?" She squeezed Leah's cheeks together with a grin.

"Ohh, I think I'm following you. I like Plan C; what else do you got?"

Hannah released my daughter's face and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, kiddo, lets see a pout." Leah gave me a blank stare.

"What do you do to your daddy when its bed time and Spongebob's not over yet?" I asked her. Leah looked at Hannah with pleading eyes. She stuck out her bottom lip, making it quivier as if she was about to cry. She let out a pitful wimper as well. I laughed. My child was so dramatic; I've taught her well.

She stared back at Hannah for not even a minute. "Okay, that's _really_ convincing. I almost _hugged_ you." Leah looked back at me with a smile.

Mom snapped her fingers and slid out of her seat. "I think I have an idea." She picked up her purse off the couch. "C'mon Leah. We'll be right back."

"Were are we going, Nonna?" Leah asked as she wiggled out of my lap.

"Somewhere," she smiled. That worried me.

"I think I'm gonna tag along, just in case," I informed her. I hesitantly followed them out the door. There was no telling what idea my mom had in mind.

xXxXxXxXx

"Momma! Momma! Look at my hair!" I heard her squeal from the other room. I spun around, bracing myself for the worst. Leah skipped around the corner into the room I was seated in. My jaw dropped, and so did my heart. Leah had left the room with beautiful wavy hair down to her waist, (Which, by the way, took five years with an occasional trim to grow out) and came back in with bouncy dark curls that came down about an inch past her chin. A tiny light pink streak was twisted into one of the big curls around her face.

"The pink strand is fake," Mom informed me, noticing my dumbfoundedness. (Ha. _That's_ what she thought I freaked out about!). "She cut ten inches off. After it dried, it curled right up! Cute, huh?"

I looked at my mom, then at Leah's excited face. She was happy, obviously. She couldn't stay still!

"Turn around; let me see the back," I told her. She twirled around, making her pink puffy shirt whirl in a circle. I had to admit, as much as it hurt me to cut off her long locks, the short curls really suited her bouncy personality.

"I like it," I finally spoke up with a smile. "The pink _totally_ ties it together."

"I wanted to be like you, Momma!" she laughed. She stretched out her pink curl, then compared it to one of my faded purple streaks. "See? We're the same!"

**Review? :) Chapter 17 coming soon!**


	17. We're Not That Different

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 17 - We're Not That Different

**Leah's POV**

I sat between Momma and Daddy. Aunt Harper, Uncle Justin, Uncle Max, Nonna, Poppy, Hannah, Jeremy, Will, and Bazzy were sitting in the rows behind us. I looked back. Nonna gave me a small grin, but it faded when a booming voice filled the room.

_"GUILTY!" _it shouted loudly enough to make my ears ring. Guilty? What did that mean?

Daddy stood up. Before he could do anything, the room started to shake. I grabbed Momma's hand and squeezed my eyes shut. Then, it stopped. I open my eyes. A shriek came from someone in the rows behind us. Hannah probably. The wall began to crack. A growl louder than thunder boomed across the room. I large deep blue tentical broke through the wall, followed by six more. They wrapped around Daddy. I screamed.

_"Mason!"_ Momma cried. A crash came from the other side. More tenticals broke free and harshly wrapped around her.

_"Momma!"_ I yelped. I looked at the front wall. History repeated itself. Only this time, the tenticals came towards _me_. I tried to run, but they were too fast. They wrapped around me and started pulling away. Momma grabbed one of my hands. Daddy grabbed the other. We clung to each other like our lives depended on it. The monsters pulled and pulled until I slipped right out of Momma and Daddy's hands.

My eyes flew open. I flicked on my lamp.

_"Mommy!"_ I cried.

xXxXxXxXx

**Alex's POV**

Leah explained her dream to me in vivid detail, tallking a mile of minute. Her heart was racing, making her voice shake. My heart raced with every word she said. Her dream scared me too. Not because of what happened, but because of this: every time Leah has a nightmare, it gives her a feeling that something bad will happen. A majority of the time, her feeling was right. What scared me even more was that this was the worst nightmare she had ever told me about, so I had a bad feeling too. And it had something to do with tomorrow.

Tomorrow, is the trial.

"Momma?" Leah asked me after she had calmed down a little.

"Yes, baby?"

She stroaked her stuffed giraffe's fur. "Am I, well... am I..different?"

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Daddy, Jeremy, Will and Bazzy are werewolves. Hannah and Uncle Justin are wizards. Poppy, Nonna, Aunt Harper, and you are humans. Where do I fit in?"

I looked into my daughter's eyes. She looked serious and scared. I didn't know what to say. It never occured to me that she could be insecure of who she was. She was perfect to me.

I settled myself next to her. "Leah, what do you think you are?"

She looked down. "Yesterday the beard man said I was an abomination," she sighed.

"I didn't ask what beard man thinks you are. I asked what _you_ think."

She figited with the buttons on her red pjs. "I...think I'm Leah."

"Good anwser."

"But there's nobody else like me. Nobody else is a wizard _and_ a werewolf!" She looked down. "Nobody but me."

I pulled her into my lap. "Leah, being different isn't a bad thing. You're not different, you're special. You're perfect in your own way."

"Really?"

"Yep! There's no one else just like you. You're unique. Don't _ever_ change. Never lose who you are."

"Momma?" She took my hand. "Are you afraid?"

"Of course I am," I told her. "Frankly, I'm terrified."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought mommies weren't supposed to get scared."

"You thought wrong, baby. Everybody gets scared sometimes. Its part of life."

"Even Daddy?"

"Even Daddy," I smiled. "He's as scared as I am. If not more."

"Momma?"

"Yes?"

"What's gonna happen to us if the beard man wins the trial?"

To be honest, I had no idea. I had been trying to think positively, keeping the negativity in the back of my mind. But hey, once a pessimist, always a pessimist.

"Well, I don't know, sweetie. We won't know until it happens. But we're gonna do all we can. We're fighting for us."

She was silent for a minute. She wasn't frozen, so she wasn't going anywhere. She was just thinking. I decided to break the silence.

"How about a song?" I offered.

"You are My Sunshine?" she asked.

"Not tonight. I have a better one." She smiled and nodded in her adorable way. She settled in my lap as I sat in crisscross applesauce. I hugged her to my chest and rested my cheek on her head. I slowly swayed back and forth.

_"Come stop your crying, It will be alright," _I sang softly. I squeezed her hand, _"Just take my hand, hold it tight._

_I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry."_

She squeezed my hand back. I smiled. _"For one so small, you seem so strong." _I hugged her tightly. _"My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken, I will be here, don't you cry..." _She rested her head against my shoulder.

_"..Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more._

_You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always."_

Leah looked up at me with a soft smile that made my heart melt.

_"Why can't they understand, the way we feel? They just don't trust, what they can't explain._

_I know where different but, deep inside us," _ I kissed the top of her head, _"We're not that different at all..._

_..Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always."_ I looked down at my daughter, who's eyelids were fluttering as she tried to stay awake.

_"Don't listen to them, cause what do they know? We need each other, to have, to hold. They'll see in time, I know._

_When destiny calls you, you must be strong. I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on. They'll see in time, I know, we'll show them together..._

_..Cause you'll be in my heart, no matter what they 'll be here in my heart, I'll be there always..."_

I slowly lifted Leah out of my lap and settled her into her bed. She tensed up, but loosened after she got used to her surroundings. I listened to her steady breathing pattern. In, out. In, out. I kissed her cheek and pulled her covers closer to her. I started to the door, but something stopped me. I couldn't leave. I looked back at my daughter. My heart melted. She just looked so peaceful. I snuck back into her rocking chair and started thinking.

What if this was my last night? What if this was _her_ last night? Would we be put in different jails? We'd never see each other again. What about Leah? What would happen to her if they only arrested me and Mason? They'd probably just ship her off to some wizard foster home or something. But there's no one else like her. No one will understand her. No one will get her werewolf side. No one will know that she only phases once a month instead of every night. They won't know to check on her every hour on that night. No one will know that she's afraid of being alone. Her whole life, ruined before it's even started. But why? She shouldn't be punished when it wasn't her fault. It wasn't right.

What about me and Mason? Our love is so much stronger than any magic in the entire universe. It's not fair. It wasn't my fault that my brother was a better wizard than me, so he won. We weren't about to let everything we had been working for slip away. We followed our hearts; is that such a crime?

I finally regained the strength to leave the room. I slipped out of the chair and made my way to the door. I turned to look at my daughter, sleeping peacefully in her bed.

_"I'll be with you,"_ I sang softly as I smiled down at my beautiful daughter, _"I'll be there for you always. Always and always. Just look over your shoulder, I'll be there always."_

**For those of you who don't know, the song is that freaking adorable song from Tarzan. "You'll be in My Heart" - Phil Collins :) that's probably one of the most appropriate songs for this family. And this is probably my favorite chapter. What was your favorite chapter? :)**


	18. Who You Are

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 18 - Who You Are

**Justin's POV**

I watched from the window as Alex and Mason parked their car in front of the sub shop. Leah slid out instantly, Wearing a light blue dressy shirt with a white Hawaiian flower in the front, along with a ruffled white skirt that came to her knees. Her short dark brown ringlets danced around her head as she walked; a few curls were pulled out of her face with a light blue ribbon. She looked heartwarmingly innocent. She smiled up at her mom, making the best of the situation as always. She walked between her parents holding both of their hands. They lifted her slightly off the ground as they approached, letting her swing every few steps.

"Hey," I said to them in a flat tone.

"Hey.." Alex replied with a sigh. She looked at me. I saw the despair in het eyes. She put on a smile for Leah, but we could all tell how much she was hurting. It was painful to see.

"Hey Uncle Justin!" little happy-go-lucky Leah smiled as she hugged my legs.

"Hey kiddo," I tried to grin. It was hard to. I turned to Mason. "Did they give you guys a time for the trial?"

"No," he replied flatly. "I have no idea how we're going to get there. Are we supposed to go through the portal or-" he was cut off by a blinding flash of light. Once it faded, I realized what had happened.

"Well, that answers that," Alex scoffed.

"Welcome," an old voice stated monotonously. "Take your seats." 

**Alex's POV  
**  
I really don't know much about wizard court, so my mind wasn't really registering what was going on. I guess I can recap what I can: Justin explained our story using lots of mature and professional words that I didn't know the meaning of. It was as if he had been rehearsing his speech for days. Crumbs didn't look very impressed.

So then this other dude on the other side of the courtroom started bagging on every word Justin said, totally contradicting the situation. Justin and the dude started arguing about us. I remained silent. The two were getting louder and louder, and the argument was getting more and more intense. Crumbs, obviously not enjoying this, picked up his hammer.

I looked to the side, only to find Leah trying to stand in her seat. _What on earth?_ I asked myself. My glance went back to Justin and the dude.

Then, a small voice spoke up above the rest right as Crumbs was about to hit the table with the hammer.

_"Wait."_

Mason and I exchanged glances. Our eyes directed to Leah, who had her little arms folded over her chest, giving Crumbs the puppy eyes.

"May I say something?" she asked politely.

Crumbs raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"Leah, _get down!_" Mason ordered in a whisper. Of course, she ignored him.

She readjusted her position to where he could see her. "Well, since half of the reason we're here today is because of me, wouldn't it be fair to hear my side of the story?"

Crumbs raised an eyebrow at my daughter. I looked at Mason, then at Crumbs. There was no telling what Leah would say.

"Alright. I am a fan of keeping things fair, so you may. You have three minutes."

"Thank you," she smiled. She slid off her seat and skipped to the seat next to him. She had to stand on the chair just to see over the rail. She looked so small up there. Mason took my hand in reassurance.

"Hi. My name is Leah Graybeck. I'm five and a quarter, and I'm a wizard, and a werewolf." she spoke clearly and confidently, like she had rehearsed it.

"My momma was a wizard. She met my daddy. He's a werewolf. They fell in love when they were young. Then, they lost each other for a long time. But they found each other again. They learned that the only way that they could stay together, was if Momma won the wizard competition. She tried her very hardest, but she lost. As some of you know, true love is unstoppable. My momma and daddy were meant to be together, and they knew that. So they ran away. Close enough so that Mom could make sure her family was okay, but far enough that no one could ever find them.

"Later on, I was born. They say that wizards and werewolves can't have kids, but I'm a mortal, too. My Nonna is. They also say that the youngest a werewolf can phase is around ten. I phased the night before my fifth birthday. The next day, my powers came in. That's the youngest on record. That includes you, Professor Crumbs. You were seven.

"My parents say that I have special gifts, and only the greatest wizards can have them. I get feelings when something is wrong, I can tell when I'm being lied to, and I can see whats going on in different places, even if I'm somewhere else. It's really cool. My poppy and Uncle Justin have been giving me wizard lessons. And I can control my werewolf side. I only phase once a month. Its kind of confusing, but I'm me.

"My parents are the best parents in the entire world. They support me, they care for me, they give me everything i need. They love me and I love them. I love them more than being a werewolf, my special gifts, all the candy and sunshine in the world. I love them more than magic. Because their love is stronger than magic. They were meant to be together from the start, and you can't stop fate. You can try, but it always works out the way it was supposed to. They fell in love. Is that such a crime?"

She smiled up at Crumbs. "The point is, my name is Leah Graybeck. I'm five and a quarter, I'm Half werewolf, a fourth human, and a fourth wizard, and I have the best momma and daddy in the entire world. It's kind of hard to understand, but that's me. And that's all I can be." she flashed us a grin of confidence.

I looked at Mason. We were both smiling wider than ever before. Anyone could tell that it was well over three minutes, but Leah's speech proved that she had learned the most important lesson I had ever learned: _always_ stand up for what you believe in. Mason put his arm around me. I squeezed his hand tightly, as proud as can be.

A small clap came from behind us. I spun around in my seat. It was Max; big shocker. The entire audience turned to him. He stood up and clapped loudly. Jeremy joined him. Followed by Bazzy, Harper, And Will. Mom and Dad joined them. Then Hannah, then Justin, then us. The rest of the audience quickly stood and burst into a loud applause. Leah was beaming.

Crumbs looked surprised. I glanced at where the judges were sitting. Some were whispering to each other, two were writing something down on a sheet of paper. One was wiping her eyes. After about three minutes of applause, one judge lifted his hand.

Crumbs picked up his hammer and hit it against his podium. "Order! Order in the court! Everybody _calm down_!" the room silenced. "Thank you. The judges have made their decision." he snapped his fingers, and the paper appeared before him. He studied the paper, and raised an eyebrow.

"Alex. Mason. The judges had decided that for the next month, they would like to have Leah under observation."

My face lightened up. "Really? So, we're off the hook?" Mason squeezed my hand.

"Don't get too excited, Ms. Russo-"

"Graybeck." I grumbled.

"No matter. Leah will be under observation at the WOC. The Wizard Observation Center. She will remain there for the next month. You two may remain together for the time being and visit her twice a week. We'll discuss _your_ fate after Leah's."

That struck me hard. "Excuse me? You want her to stay _alone_? She's just a baby! She can't be separated from us! Sorry sir, but that ain't happening!" I was steaming mad.

Mason tried to remain calm, trying his best not to make matters worse by going all werewolf on us. "She's right, sir. The longest Leah's been away from home is two days, and she was with family then."

"I assure you, Alex, she will be very safe and under close watch. Other wizard children will be there too."

I folded my arms over my chest, totally not buying it.

_Its okay Momma. I'll be fine_, I heard in the back of my mind. I spun around, only to see Max and Jeremy. I looked at Leah, who was staring straight at me. She nodded. Another gift. Awesome.

"Fine," I finally agreed. It broke my heart, but it was probably the only chance Leah had.

XxXxXxXxX

I handed Leah her pink rolling suitcase, trying to hold back tears. I didn't know what I was going to do without my lovebug. But I had to stay strong. I didn't want to make her more afraid than she probably already was.

"Alright, Leah. Say your goodbyes," Professor Crumbs ordered. "You'll be flashing to the WOC very soon. Your parents can visit you on Wednesday."

Mason squatted down to her level. "Are you going to be a good girl for us, Lee?" he asked her with a small smile.

"Yes Daddy," she told him with a sniffle. He scooped her up into his arms and hugged her to his chest.

_"I love you, little princess,"_ he whispered into her ear. _"We'll be together in no time." _A tear rolled down his cheek. He didn't even bother to wipe it away or try to disguise it as allergies. It takes a real man to cry with no shame.

"I love you too, Daddy," she whimpered pathetically in his shoulder. He finally set her down. She faced me.

I bent down to look her in the eye. "Remember what the song said last night." I told her.

A tear rolled down her face. "For one so small, I seem so strong."

I picked her up and placed her on my hip. "My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm."

"This bond between us, can't be broken."  
**  
**"I will be here," I pointed to her heart and wiped her tear away, "Don't you cry." I smiled, then wiped away my own tear.

She hugged me tightly, tears flooding into my shoulder. "I like that song, mommy."

"Sounds like us, doesn't it?" I said with a small laugh. I set her back down on the ground, and reached into my jacket pocket. I pulled out Leah's birthday locket and placed it around her neck.

"Now, any time you're scared, or sad, I want you to open this. Justin charmed it this morning, so it will have a surprise for you. Okay?"

"Okay, momma." she tried to smile. "I love you."

"I love you too. Be strong for us, okay lovebug? Wednesday will be here before you know it."

"Okay, momma." she wiped away one last tear, and turned to Crumbs. He offered her his hand. She took it. She gave us a weak wave, and with that, they were gone.

**Hey guys- Hope you liked this chapter cause it took me FOREVER to write! More chapters coming soon! Thank you all for reading.**


	19. The Island of Misfit Toys

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 19 - The Land of Misfit Toys

**Leah's POV**

I learned something today: I don't like being alone.

Of course, I'm not actually alone. Mrs. Janine watches us and feeds us, to make sure we don't kill each other or anything. But for the most part, there's no one to talk to.

There are four other kids here too. Angele, pronounced "On-jell", is eleven. Along with her twin sister Adele, She's part cucuy, part wizard. They have a way of scaring everyone around them when they doesn't get what they wants. Including their family. Including a police officer, which is why they're here. Not only is this an observation center; it's also a rehabilitation center. I don't want to explain too much, because it's none of my business. I don't like them very much.

Trace is two. He's a wizard, obviously, but his parents were bad. They were evil, and who tried to take over the wizard world. They're locked up now. Professor Crumbs saw potential in him, so he let him live. He's lived here since he was five months old. He doesn't even remember his parents.

Then there's another boy. He's a little older than me, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I don't know his story; he kind of keeps to himself. He hasn't said a word since I got here. He just sits in the corner and draws all over himself with markers, never making a sound. He's very mysterious, and I'm very curious.

I kept to myself mostly. Mrs. Janine explained everything I probably needed to know. There's an invisible camera in every room besides the bathroom. On tuesdays, thursdays, and sundays, people come to ask us questions. Breakfast is at eight, lunch is at twelve, and dinner is at five. We have sessions and play time, and even tv time. I share a room with the twins. Lucky me. They have a bunk bed. I have a pullout couch next to the window. Mrs. Janine says that if I cooperate and do everything they ask, time will fly. I'm not so sure.

I sat by myself at dinner and turned in early for bed. Normally, I would've made friends with somebody by then, either that or talked the adult's ear off by now. But not this time. I was too sad. I missed my parents.

I curled up in my blanket with my back against the wall and my head against the window. I listened to Angele and Adele's stupid argument over who got the top bunk. I didn't dare try to break it up. They were half mythical monsters who found joy in scaring the pants off of people, after all.

They finally settled their feud with a thumb war. Which started another war. Adele decided to charm her hand, making it an easy win.

"You cheated, Brat!" Angele shouted.

"Nuh uh!" Adele retorted, folding her arms over her chest. "You're just can't not have your way!"

"You used _magic_! I didn't have a chance!"

"No magic wasn't declared a rule, smart one! Maybe you should've thought of that first!"

_"I hate you!"_ Angele wailed, smacking her sister with a pillow. Instead of arguing back, Adele yanked her hair.

I pushed the ends of my pillow against my ears. There was no way I would be able to stand it. I watched them fight for the longest time, until I finally couldn't take it.

"Guys! Can you please knock it off?" I asked bravely. "Cause I need to sleep, too!" the twins exchanged glances with each other. They smiled and nodded. At first I thought they were agreeing with me. They covered their faces and crept closer to me, until they we were nose to nose. They removed their hands and let out an earsplitting screech, revealing their cucuy monster faces.

"AHHHHH!" I screamed. I screamed and screamed while they laughed. My entire life flashed before my eyes. I had never turned so scared so quickly in my whole life.

Angele kicked my bed, harshly shaking me. "Shut up, you stupid baby!" she yelled. "You should be sharing a room with Trace!" That shut me up. I huddled in the corner of my pullout couch and cried.

The twins finally fell asleep two hours later. Angele had finally agreed to letting Adele sleep on the top bunk. She fell off about an hour ago, so now she's snoring face first into the carpet.

I sat back up to my earlier position: back against the wall, head against the window. The wind seemed to be making the leaves on the trees dance. The moon was high and shaped like a toenail. I was thankful that I didn't phase until later this month. Unlike Daddy, who did every night. He was probably changing right around now.

"Daddy," I whispered softly. "Momma." I clutched my locket. What was it that Momma said to do? I'd probably remember in the morning. I hate it here. I want to go home.

I curled up by the window and cried until I fell asleep.

XxXxXxXxX

I sat alone at lunch until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around to see mystery boy.

"Hi," he said. "You're the new girl, right?"

"That's me I guess," I sighed.

"What are you?"

I was slightly offended by that. "What do you mean by that?"

He laughed, sensing my alarm. "I mean, are you a _wizard_? _Elf_? _Genie_?"

"Oh!" I laughed. "I'm a wizard. And a werewolf. And mortal."

His eyebrows raised. "Really?" he thought for a minute. "that's cool, I guess."

I smiled and offered him my hand. "I'm Leah Graybeck."

"I'm Ink." he shook my hand back.

"How's that your name? Ink's not a name!"

He laughed. "My real name's Ignatius. _Ignatius Nico Keaton_."

I thought for a minute. "Ignatius Nico Keaton. _I. N. K._ Oh! I see! _Ink_ is your initials!"

"Bingo! I've been called Ink since I was born. How old are you?"

"Five and a quarter. You?"

"Seven...and three quarters I guess, if we're talking like that."

We talked for the rest of lunch. I hadn't laughed so hard in two days. He was really funny. But I got a weird feeling. He was hiding something. I just knew it.

"Okay, everyone. Dr. Monroe is here." Mrs. Janine said. "You know the drill. Adele, you're up first."

"What's going on?" I asked Ink.

"Intervention," he muttered.

"What's that?"

"It's were a dude or dudette comes in and asks you questions." he scoffed.

I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of questions?"

"It's different for every case. Are you a goody-goody or stubborn?"

I gave him a blank stare.

"Do you follow all the rules, or do whatever it takes to get what you want?"

I thought for a minute. "I don't know. I just want to get out of here."

He smiled. "Then just do everything they say, and you'll be out of here as soon as you can." he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I don't say anything."

"At all?"

"Nope. I just sit there and look at the ceiling. They think I'm stupid, so they give up and go to the next kid. I've been here for four months now."

"How long did they make you stay here?"

He smiled. "Just two."

My jaw dropped. And I was complaining about one night. "_Why?_ All I want to do is go home!"

"I did at first, but then, something just came over me. I don't want them to learn every little detail about me. It's none of their business. So, I guess I'm stuck here for a while."

I just looked at him in awe. There was something funny about Ink. He was just a mystery. And I was determined to find out what it was.

"Leah? It's your turn." Mrs. Janine said. I didn't realize how long we'd been talking.

"Good luck," Ink whispered. I slowly walked to the room she pointed to.

**Okay, I have a few questions for you guys, if you don't mind. :)**

** 1. How do you think Alex is taking all of this?**

** 2. What sort of things should the interviewers ask Leah?**

** 3. What do you think Ink is hiding?**

_**Chapter 20 on the way:)**_


	20. Chasing Cars

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 20 - Chasing Cars

**Author's Note:** Thank you all for all the feedback. I've stressed this enough as it is, but I really appreciate each and every one of you. :)

**3rd Person POV**

_"And when she wraps her hand around my finger, oh it puts a smile in my heart. Everything becomes a little clearer, I realize what life is all about. It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough, it's givin' more when you feel like givin' up, I've seen the light, in my daught-" _Click.Mason quickly changed the radio station.

_"Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do-" _Click.

_"-wish I could hold your hand in this great big world, oh little baby girl-" _Click.

_"-and his heart belongs to that sweet little, beautiful, perfect, all-american gir-" _Click.

_"I'm five years old, it's-" _Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

_"And I was like baby, baby, baby ohhh," _Mason raised an eyebrow and quickly turned off the radio. He let out a sigh and looked out the window as he pulled into the apartment complex. He parked the car in the driveway and started towards the front porch. Alex was sitting gloomily on the steps, blowing air into a rubber glove.

"Hi, love," he called out as he approached.

She waved the inflated glove in the air. "Hey," she replied in a flat tone with a small smirk. He sat down beside her as she released the glove; her eyes followed it around the yard.

"Have you been alone all day?" he asked.

She shook her head and fixed her bangs. "Harper left about an hour ago. Max and Hailey came with her, but they left earlier." she shrugged. "My aura's probably bringing 'em down."

"Max really seems to like this girl, doesn't he?" he chuckled.

"Yeah," she laughed, "six months is a long time in his world. I think she's the longest thing he's ever committed to." she paused, then laughed again. "_besides_ a cell phone plan."

They sat in silence for a minute. Alex reached for another glove in the box beside her. Mason raised an eyebrow at the other dozen scattered around the yard.

"Bored much?" he asked.

"Yeah, kinda," she sighed. She blew air into the glove until it popped, which made her jump. "Without Leah here the house is so quiet. It's depressing."

"You know what you need?" He didn't wait for her to reply. "A popcicle. Cherry. On me." He dashed into the house and stopped in his tracks. _"What happened in here?_"

"What do you mean?" she asked with a quizzical glance.

"The living room! It's _spottless!"_

"Funny, Harper said the same thing. So is the kitchen and the bathroom."

"Um, you did this, love?"

"Yeah," Alex sighed. She loosened her grip on her glove instead of letting it go, causing the air to blow back in her unexpected face, not seeing that coming. Mason smirked at her as he sat down, offering her a cherry popcicle.

He took a lick of his own. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her.

Alex took a chomp out of hers, enjoying the random burst of cold rather than getting a brain freeze like a normal person.

"What do _you_ think I'm thinking about?" she asked him.

"I _think_ you're thinking about the same thing I'm thinking about."

She twirled her finger around in the air. "Ding ding ding, I _think_ we have a winner."

He wrapped his arm around her waist. "I _think_ you don't need to worry as much as you are."

She took another bite. "I can't help it! I'm a mom: worrying is my job!"

"Well I'm a dad. You think _I_'m not worried?"

"Well duh, but you're so cool and collective about it!" she gave him a look of desperation. "How do you do it, Mason?"

He smiled. "Moms worry about things, but dads just know things."

She cocked her head slightly. "Can you say that in English? I don't speak fortune cookie."

"Well, for example," he smiled, "I know that the sun will come up tomorrow, I know that the stars will shine tonight, I know that you will always be my Alex," She smiled at the sound of that and rested her head on his shoulder. "And I know that our baby is doing just fine."

"I hope you're right," she sighed. She wiped a single tear from her cheek. "If this is how I act when it's only been a day and a half, Wednesday is too far away."

He kissed the top of her head. "It'll be soon, love, it'll be soon."

She turned to face him. "Am I a bad mom?"

Mason's eyes widened. "Why on _Earth_ would you ask that?"

She sat up. "A bad mom move is walking out of Wal-Mart and accidentally leaving your kid in the toy isle. But _I_ had to go and get ours sent to some wacky nutjob center where she knows _no one_. She's probably scared to death!" She rested her chin in her hands. "I'm a terrible mom."

Mason folded his arms over his chest. "Alexandra Graybeck, that is the biggest lie I have ever heard you tell. You're a wonderful mother! Our daughter is the happiest kid in the world," He took her hand, "And I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"Really?" Alex smiled.

"Really." He smiled. "Besides, Leah's tough like you; she'll be fine."

Alex looked down at their intertwined fingers. She couldn't help but smile up at him.

"Have I ever told you that you have the most beautiful brown eyes in the entire world?" he asked with a smile.

"Only a million times." She grinned.

"And that every time I look into them, I still wonder how I ended up with someone as amazing as you?"

She blushed. "We're like penguins," she smiled.

"Huh?" he asked in confusion.

"Well, its said that when a penguin finds its mate, they stay together for the rest of they're lives. Its like fate."

Mason chuckled. "True love amongst weird flightless birds. I like that; it sounds like us."

"Ain't that the truth," she laughed.

"I love you," he said sweetly.

"I love you too," she replied, gaising into his eyes.

She chuckled. "C'mere you big nerd," she smiled. She cupped his chin in her hand and gently pressed her lips against his.

_Mommy, Mommy,_ she heard a voice call. She pulled away in alarm and looked behind her. Nothing was there.

"What is it, love?" He asked concerningly. Alex hugged her knees; heart dropping.

"Great. Now I'm hearing things." She laid her head in his lap, holding back tears. They say moms can hear they're children's voice if it's calling them from miles away. Alex knew for a fact that she heard Leah's voice.

**Ooh, suspenceful(;**

**sorry this chapter was so short, but I'm already working on the next one:)**

**thank you for reading. It really does mean a lot :)**


	21. Gift

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 21 - Gifts

**Leah's POV**

"Take a seat, Leah," a man in a lab coat ordered, pronouncing my name _Lay-uh_.

"Its _Lee_-uh," I corrected him. I climbed into the brown armchair, which was way to big for someone my size. I kind of sank in my seat.

"Anyway," he scoffed. I rolled my eyes. Normally, I wouldn't have been so agitated, but I do get a special reading on people, so I knew for a fact I didn't like this guy. His I'd-rather-have-my-pinkie-toe-cut-off-then-be-here attitude was making me irritable.

"I'm Dr. Lawrence," he informed me, he gestured to the lady sitting at the table next to him, wearing a similar lab coat. "And this is Dr. Roberts. We just want to ask you a few questions, okay?"

"Kay," I shrugged. That meant the more I tell them, the sooner I'm done.

He snapped his fingers, and a paper appeared in his hand. I forgot they were wizards, too. I'm still not used to everyone using magic all the time, since the only people I've been around that use magic are Justin and Hannah.

He scanned over the paper. "It's documented here that you're the offspring of a female former-wizard and a male werewolf. Is this true or false?"

"Matthew, she's six; I don't think she can understand-" Dr. Roberts began. I chuckled. Clearly the paper didn't say too much about me.

"I'm five, actually," I interupted, much to her surprise. "And I've understood everything that he's said so far. Its true. My mom was a wizard and my dad is a werewolf. But my nonna on my mom's side is human, so I guess I'm that too."

Dr. Roberts glanced at me with astonished eyes. She looked at Dr. Lawrence, then back at me.

"It also says that you phased for the first time and recieved your powers early. Care to explain that?"

"I phased into a werewolf the night before my fifth birthday, and I only change once a month, rather than every night, like normal werewolves." I told them, then added, "And I got my powers the next day."

"It is said that some of the world's most powerful wizards recieved their powers at an early age," he said.

I smiled. "I'm aware."

We continued talking for about twenty minutes, which was way longer than Adele's turn. Dr. Roberts grew more and more amazed with every one of my answers. Dr. Lawrence, on the other hand, remained unimpressed. That is, until one particular answer...

"So, you have the gift of Astral Projection, you can tell when you're being lied to, you have nightmares when bad things happen, and you recieve strong feelings if something happens to someone close to you. You speak with nearly flawless grammar, you can read and write on a seventh grade level, and you said that one time you litterally blocked the pain when your mother had to get blood drawn, correct?"

"Right," I replied. I thought for a minute. "And, I can sort of read minds."

Dr. Lawrence let out a loud laugh, much to mine and Dr. Roberts' surprise. "Okay, Leah, you've proved that all of these things are true, but really? Mind reading? Couldn't you think of something more original? You're just pulling my leg now."

"But it's true!" I told him.

"How does it work?" Dr. Roberts asked me. Dr. Lawrence glared at her.

"Well, I look into someone's eyes, and if I really focus, I can see pictures of what they're thinking. And it focuses on certain details that they're thinking about, like a mini movie." I shrugged. "It's kind of hard to explain. I like to call it my mind camera."

"Fascinating," she smiled.

"You're seriously buying this?" Dr. Lawrence demanded.

I folded my arms over my chest. "Its true! I'll prove it! Both of you think of something."

I looked at Dr. Roberts' eyes. She looked back at me for a second, then focused on something. I thought hard, then a fuzzy image faded into my mind. It took a minute, but the vision cleared. I saw a grassy field. Dr. Roberts was there with a man. They were smiling and holding hands. She looked into the man's eyes the same way Momma looked into Daddy's. The mind camera zoomed in on her hand, which had a diamond ring on her finger, almost as pretty as Momma's.

I quickly snapped out of it.

"Dr. Roberts, you're thinking of your fiancee`."I told her. A small smile grew across her face. She nodded.

"Are you serious?" Dr. Lawrence demanded.

"How else would you explain it then?" she asked him.

"She obviously saw your ring and guessed!"

That hit me hard. It wasn't hard to get to his mind. _"I'm not buying this."_

The frustrating words haunted my mind. I darted my eyes at him. I didn't know why I didn't like this guy, but his thoughts were making me mad. And just so you know, it's _never_ a good idea to make a werewolf mad. Even a half-werewolf.

_WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?_ I growled angerly to myself.

"Because it's rediculous!" He replied. I snapped out of it.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You just asked me why I didn't believe you," he told me.

"No, I didn't."

"Are you okay, Matthew?" Dr. Roberts asked, "She didn't say a word."

"Then how did I hear her?" he demanded.

"What _did_ you hear exactly?" I asked.

"You just asked me why I don't believe you! Are you _mad_?"

"I didn't say that!" I thought for a minute. "I...I thought that.."

Dr. Lawrence remained silent for a minute. "No matter, we're done here. Send in Ignatius Keaton, please." He snapped his fingers, making his clipboard change papers.

"Alright," I agreed. I slid out of the brown chair and started towards the door. I turned back around. "And, by the way, he likes to be called _Ink_."

I walked back to the play area, still shaking and confused from the previous series of events. Ink was at an empty table, coloring on his are with a green marker.

"What took you so long?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing," I replied shyly. I glanced at his arm. "Why do you draw on yourself all the time?"

"I dunno," he shrugged.

"Hmpf," I sighed. Something was just funny about him. "Well its your turn now."

"Great," he sighed. He closed his markers and pulled a black wand from his back pocket. He pointed to the markers scattered on the table, whispered a few words, and with that, they were _gone_.

"Hey!" I called out in surprise as he stuffed his wand back into his pocket.

"What?" he asked.

"You're a kid wiza-" I tried to announce, but Ink quickly covered her mouth. I slung his hand away and folded my arms over my chest.

"Ink! It's time for your questions!" Ms. Janine called.

"Coming!" He replied. He turned back to me. _"Do you want everyone to find out?"_

"You mean," I lowered my voice, _"nobody knows?"_

"I'll explain later," he hushed me.

"Pinkie promise?" I asked, offering him my pinkie finger.

He hesitated, but squeezed it with his own. As he turned a way, I caught a glimpse of his drawing. It was a gold and green dragon, wrapped gracefully around his arm and to his hand, where the tail was wrapped around his finger. He used a skinny dark green marker for detail, and a black for the shadowing.

"Ink! This is _incredible_!" I told him, twisting his arm around to get a better look.

He began to reply, when he was interupted by an angry voice.

"INK KEATON!" Angele snapped, _"Get your marker covered butt over here!_ I am sick and tired of hearing your name being called!"

"I'm _COMIN'!_" he yelled back at her. "Time for the silent treatment," he whispered to me. And with that, he was gone.

I marched up to mine and the twins' room and locked the door.

_"How did I do that? What did I do?_" I asked myself as I paced around the room. "Okay, recap. I told him I could read minds. He didn't believe me. I thought really really hard, and he heard me. But how?"

I thought back to a few minutes ago. How did I do it? "Maybe its another gift!" I smiled excitedly. _Lets test this out._ I thought. I thought hard. I thought deeper and deeper and closed my eyes. I pictured mom. I thought about how much I missed her. It took a few minutes and a _lot_ of effort, but I tapped into her mind.

_Wednesday is too far away,_ I heard her think, _I need to see my baby._

I concentrated, and called out to her. _Mommy, Mommy,_ I called. I waited.

_Who said that? Great, now I'm hearing things!_

I wanted to reply, but all the effort really wore me out. That always happened whenever I used magic, or my gifts. I laid down on my pullout couch and yawned.

"I'll just try again tomorrow," I told myself. I let out another yawn and fell asleep.

_**Helloooooo Summertime! School is OUT! :D-**_

**What happened in the interview? Why did Alex think she was hearing things? What is Ink hiding? **

**Your questions will be answered ASAP! Watch out for Chapter 22! :)**


	22. Uncovering the Truth

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 22 - Uncovering the Truth

**3rd Person POV**

Alex's eyes flew open at the sound of the alarm. She buried her face in her pillow and swatted blindly at her nightstand, only to realize the sound was coming from the clock on Mason's side.

"Mason, turn it off, turn it off," she rambled into her pillow. No response. "Mason, turn it off." She extended her arm to wake him, but she felt nothing. Her eyes snapped open.

She lifted her head up. "Mason?" She glanced over, only to find his side empty. She sighed. She rolled over to his side, getting caught in the sheets. She picked up the closest object to her, a remote under her pillow, and threw at Mason's night stand, sending the alarm clock flying off the table and into the wall. It finally shut up.

She picked up Mason's phone off the night stand. She smiled at the background, which was a picture of her, of course. Then, she saw it. A wide, childlike smile grew across her face. She thew off the sheets and danced out of the room.

"Morning, love," Mason smiled from the couch, "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Do you know what today is?" Alex asked, almost shaking with excitement.

"Hm, what is so special about this certain day?" he joked playfully.

She nearly dove on the couch next to him. "Its Wednesday!" she cried excitedly. She hugged his arm, smiling like a kid on Christmas morning.

"No wonder you're so excited," he laughed.

She glanced at the watch on his wrist. "How long have you been up?" she asked curiously.

He looked at his watch too. "4:30am," he shrugged and sipped his coffee.

"4:30? Mason!"

"Sorry! I couldn't sleep!" He smirked at her. "I guess I was too excited." Alex smiled again.

The conversation was interupted by a phone call. Alex dove for the phone.

"Hello?" she answered frantically. Mason watched curiously as a huge, childlike smile grew across Alex's face. He instantly knew who it was.

She quickly calmed down, reminding herself that she needed to be a mature adult. "Yes, this is Leah Graybeck's parent." she paused. "Yes. An hour? Okay. Thank you...Yes, y-you have a good day too.." she gave a weird look as she set the phone on the coffee table, but smiled happily again. She turned to Mason, who was smiling just as wide.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"How much longer?" Leah asked Ms. Janine for the billionth time that morning. She tried to contain her excitement.

"Soon, Leah, very soon," she sighed, "And asking me every two minutes won't make them get here faster."

"Fine," she pouted. She stared out the window as Mrs. Janine tended to Trace, who had an ear infection. "How long now?"

Ms. Janine raised her eyebrow.

"That was _three_ minutes," Leah informed her.

Janine sighed. "Trace! Stop wiggling! You're going to get eardrops whether you want to or not." She folded her arms over her chest at the toddler.

"No dwops! No dwops! No no no!" Trace argued, covering his ears with his hands. "No dwops for Twace!"

"Trace, you _have_ to get the drops if you want your ears to feel better. Do you want your ears to feel better?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Then let me put these drops in, okay?"

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" he pressed his hands against his ears and buried his face in his knees.

Janine balled her hands into fists and faced the other direction. _"The lord is testing me,"_ she grumbled to herself. She walked to the bathroom, leaving Trace huddled to himself on the coffee table. Leah thought for a minute, smiled, and sat down beside him.

"Hi Trace," she smiled. Trace poked his head out just a smidge, smiled a little, then put his head back down.

"'scuse me, but I _said _hi, Trace," she repeated. He also repeated his actions. "You better say hey back to me boy!" she tickled his side, sending him into a laughing fit.

"dop it, dop it!" he laughed hysterically. She finally let him go. He caught his breath and replied, "Hi Yee-ah."

"What was all the yelling about earlier?" she asked him.

He pointed to the bottle of eardrops on the table. "No dwops," he told her.

"Why not?"

"Icky."

"What if it didn't feel icky? Would you take your drops like a big boy?"

Trace thought for a minute. Then nodded his head.

She put an arm around him. "I'll tell you what; if you let Ms. Janine give you your drops, I'll make sure they won't be icky. Deal?"

He stared into her eyes for a minute. In the back of his mind, a similar voice whispered, _"Trust me, Trace. Be a big boy._"

"Oh-tay, Yee-ah," he agreed, then added, "No icky, wight?"

"Right," she smiled, giving him a high five. He hopped off the coffee table and ran towards the other room, calling, "Mih Ja-een! Mih Ja-een! Dwops!"

Janine gave him a quizzical glance. "Did I hear you right? You _want_ eardrops?"

"Uh huh! Do dwops!" He pulled her to the couch and handed her the bottle.

"Okay, ready?"

Trace looked at Leah. She gave him a wink. He tried to wink back, but ended up blinking both eyes. "Weddy!" he cocked his head to the side. Leah closed her squeezed her eyes shut. She concentrated. She thought deeper and deeper. She pictured herself blocking the eardrops with her hand as Ms. Janine poured them in his ear. She reopened her eyes.

Trace opened his eyes afterwards. He gasped. "No icky! No icky!" he cheered. He jumped up and down excitedly on the couch. Janine's eyes widened.

"What's gotten into you, Trace?" she asked in alarm. Trace took off running. Janine glanced at Leah in surprise. "What did you do?"

Leah smiled. "He didn't like the 'icky' feeling, so I blocked it." She shrugged and started off towards the other room, leaving her in total confusion.

"How did you do that?" a voice asked her. She spun around to find Ink behind her.

"Do what?"

"Whatever you did to Trace. I haven't seen the kid so excited since his birthday two months ago."

She folded her arms over her chest. "Can't tell you."

"Why not?"

She looked at him straight in the eye. "_You_ still haven't told _me_!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

A black wand appeared in her hand. She held it out to him. _"This!_"

He checked his back pocket. "Gimme that!" he grabbed it back and placed it where it was supposed to be.

"Well I'm not telling anything else. You have some serious explaining to do, Ignatius Keaton."

They stared into each other's eyes angerly. Leah scruntched her nose. Before either of them could say another word, a flash of white smoke filled the room. Ink coughed as Leah rubbed her eyes.

"Are you alright, love?" a familiar British accent asked between coughs. Leah's head snapped up.

Another familiar voice started coughing too. "Yeah. Hmpf, you'd think after five years or so they'd come up with a less harmful way of flashing in," she shuddered a little. "Did your ears pop? Now I see what Mom was always talking about."

The smoke cleared, revealing three people. Leah gasped. A wide smile grew across her face.

"Uh, Lee?" he whistled and waved his hand in front of her motionless face. "Hello? Ding dong, earth to Leah!"

_"Momma! Daddy!"_ Leah cried. She dashed across the room.

Alex spun around. The sight of her daughter lit up her entire face. "Leah!" she cried. She opened her arms as she bent down to her level. Leah jumped into her mother's arms, smiling a mile wide. Alex hugged her daughter close, feeling a tiny tear slip out of her eye. Mason joined in, wrapping his arms securely around both of them.

Professor Crumbs, standing behind them, couldn't help but slip out a little smile. He hadn't seen a family as close as they were in a long time. He thought back to before the competition was even a worry. He found it amazing that Alex Russo of all people, who didn't care much about family back in her teen years, was standing before him, nearly crying when she saw her daughter for the first time in three days. Its amazing what a little love, or _true_ love, can do to a person.

He snapped out of it. "Alright. Talk, show each other around, hug, cry, whatever you want, as long as you stay here. Alex, Mason, I'll be back in an hour to take you home." And with that, he was gone.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**At the sub station**

Harper adjusted her strawberry muffin top hat as she brought out an order of sandwiches to the cash register area, where Alex, Mason, and Jerry were seated at the bar stools. Hailey and Max were occuping the table in front of them.

"How do you think she's adjusting? Has she made any friends?" Hailey asked Alex curiously.

"Well, there's only four other kids besides her. There's a two year old boy, who's as cute as can be. Then she told us about the twins, who are half cucuy-"

"Cucuy?" Hailey asked, still new to the whole _magic_ thing. She gave Max a blank stare.

"Latin monsters. They can scare the pants off of you if you cross their path. So, their kind of like Alex." Max laughed. Mason chuckled a little. Alex elbowed him in the stomach, still a little sensitive about the cucuy incident when they were teens.

"And there's this one boy around her age," Mason added, "What was his name? Lead?"

"Ink," Alex corrected. "There was a little tension in her eye when she talked about him."

"Oo la la, what kind of _tension_ does this mean?" Harper laughed, "Like a nemisis? Or like a _crush_?" She batted her eyelashes dramatically.

Mason groaned. "Just what every dad wants; his five year old daughter having boy drama."

Jerry patted him on the back, "I hear you. Alex wasn't much better at that age. Who was that boy you were so obsessed with a while back? That boy you were determind to 'marry' until you found out he was one of Justin's friends?"

Alex blushed as Mason chuckled. "It was preschool, thank you very much," she scoffed. "Speaking of Justin, where is he?"

Jerry shrugged. "He hasn't left the lair in two days."

**Hmm..what's Ink hiding form Leah? What's Justin up to? Chapter 23 coming soon :)**

**BTW, sorry for the forever long wait, but I've been pretty busy lately. But don't worry, I'm back to my no-life self :D**

**Twitter - ShayDenney311**

**Review? :)**


	23. Into the Ink

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 23 - Into the Ink

**Author's Note: **Really really sorry for taking so long, everybody! I completely forgot about this! I feel so so bad for leaving y'all hanging like that. Forreal. But don't worry, the wait is over! Enjoy and review :)

**3rd person POV**

"Okay, kids!" A loud booming voice interuppted Leah's daydreams. She swatted a fly away from her head and squinted from the warm sunlight.

"Call me Coach Rickwood." He adjusted his sunglasses and looked at the children around him. "For this exercise, I will be testing your endurance. When I blow the whistle, you all will take off running. Run as fast and as far as you can until you absolutely can't run anymore. And no magic is permitted for this. Got it?"

"Got it," everyone agreed in unison.

Ink leaned closer to Leah. "Psst," he whispered. She ignored him. "Leah I need to talk to you."

"About what?" She folded her arms over her chest.

"Everything."

"You're actually gonna tell me?"

"Yep."

"Here? Now?"

"No, when we finnish."

"Then why-" she was cut off by the whistle. Adele and Angele took off running. Ink walked slowly. Trace toddled after the twins, leaving Leah standing.

_Okay, _she thought, _he said he'll tell me when we're finnished, so, lets hurry up and finnish this!_ She burst into a sprint, faster than the average five year old. Well, Leah was no average five year old. She quickly caught up with the other kids, who were starting to slow down. Trace stopped. Angele stopped. Adele's sprint slowed into a tired jog, while Leah haddn't even broken a sweat. Ink shrugged and sat down in the grass. He could've easily gone a lot farther, but chose not to.

Leah continued to run. The field seemed never ending, and so did her energy level. She looked back to see the awed look on Coach Rickwood's face. She smiled. _If he thinks that's fast, wait'll he sees this!_ She balled her fists, concentrated, and instantly broke into full-on werewolf speed.

The scenery around her seemed to fly by. It was like she wasn't even running anymore. The wind whipped around her like she was flying, but her feet stayed on the ground.

Within seconds, she was back at the starting place, nearly exhausted.

_"Incredible."_ Coach Rickwood said in awe. "You're half werewolf, aren't you?"

Leah nodded, too tired to speak.

He wrote something down on his clipboard. "Absolutely remarkable." He blew his whistle again. "Okay everyone, back inside!"

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Ink grabbed Leah by the hand and pulled her into the girls' bedroom. She settled on the bed as he locked the door. The seven year old tossled his hair in frustration.

Leah sat beside him and patted his back reasurance. "Ink, if you're not ready to tell me, then you don't have too."

He sighed. "That's my problem; I want to tell you. I _need_ to tell you. I need to tell it to someone, but I just don't know how."

"I was kidding about you not having to tell. Seriously, its killing me."

He gave her a look of desperation, "I haven't even told my parents about most of it."

"Well then, spit it out!"

"Okay, okay, gimmie a minute." He glanced out the window, then lowered his voice. "I'm a young wizard too."

"I knew that," she reminded him. "What's so secretive about that?"

"I'm also a _fletch_."

"A fletch? What's that?" Leah gave him a quizzical glance.

"A fletch is someone who can do special things with an ordinary item." He explained.

"Ink, you're losing me."

"It's ink."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That's what I just said!"

"No, you don't get it!" He started to pace around the room. "The ordinary item I can do special things with is ink. Pens, markers, some types of paints, I'm a fletch."

She stood up and stopped him in his tracks. "Can you try to slow down with this? You're not making any sense what so ever."

"Um, okay, do you have any paper? And a pen?" he asked.

"Probably." She dashed to the dresser and dug out a notebook pad. "Is a pencil okay?"

"Is Monopoly money okay to pay the waiter at a resuraunt?"

She held up her hand in respect. "Understood." She dug deeper and pulled out a blue ball-point pen and offered it to him. He quickly took them both and began sketching. His hand flew across the paper at almost lightning speed. Leah curiously watched over his shoulder. Seconds later, he stopped and looked at his work: a very realistic soccer ball, with flawless rounding and shading.

"Ink, that's amazing!" She smiled, then frowned. "Now why can't I do that? _Both_ of my parents are amazing artists. I wonder if Mom and Daddy could draw like that when they were kids. I can't even draw a stick person properly."

"Shh," he hushed her. "Watch this." He pressed his finger against his drawing, and literally pulled it off the paper. The soccer ball inflated; Ink threw it against the wall. It bounced back to them and landed on the bottom bunk. Leah gasped in astonishment.

"That's absolutely incredible!" She rested her elbow on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Why do you keep hiding this from everyone? Are your parents fletches too?"

He shook her arm off and rested his head in his hands. "Because no one understands it! All the other fletches out there have important gifts, like earth, or water, or stone. Mine's just pointless and weak." He shrugged. "Both my parents are wizards, but when they figured out that my drawings could come to life and sent me here to figure it out."

Leah put her arm reasuringly around his shoulder. "Ink, you're incredibly talented! You should be thankful for your gift! It-"

"But all their 'gifts' can help people! They can build shelters, stop earthquakes, stop floods, bring rain...all I can do is make my drawings move around."

"Well what do you _want_ to do?"

He looked down. "I want to help people. But how can you help someone when all you do is control _ink_?"

"Ink, you're very special. You were meant to help people. I can _feel_ it. But you can't depend on your gift to help. _You_ have to help. You have to be the change you want to see." She patted him on the back. "Your fletch is just a back up. It'll help you in the end. But you are the change."

He looked into her dark brown eyes. "Wow, Leah. Even for a kindergardener, you always seem to know exactly what to say."

She dramatically flipped her hair. "It's what I do." she smiled and looked down.

"What is it?"

She clutched her locket. "I just wished I knew what was going to happen with my family. I haven't heard anything about the trial in a while. I just want it to be okay." She opened the locket. Instantly, her favorite lulluby played softly. _When destiny calls you, you must be strong. I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on. They'll see in time, I know. We'll show them together._..

Ink snapped his fingers. "I've got it!"

"What?" she asked with a confused glance.

"You can read minds, right?"

"Pretty much. It depends on the mind." She shrugged.

"Well, why don't you see if you can read Professor Crumbs's mind? Maybe you'll get like an update or something."

"I've already tried." She sighed. "It's too far of a distance." She paused, and then a smile grew across her face. "But what if I could _go there_!"

Ink gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean? We can't leave the property."

She smiled. "Who said anything about leaving?"

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Ink asked for the third time.

Leah laughed. "Stop worrying! I've done this millions of times."

"Really?"

She shrugged. "Okay, maybe thousands...Or hundreds. Or tens. Okay, twice. But it's gonna work, okay? Trust me."

She stood up and offered him her hand. He hesitantly took it. "So, how eactly does this work?"

"Simple. It's called _Astral Projection._ If I concentrate, I can leave the place with my mind, and go to Professor Crumbs without him or anyone else knowing. If I concentrate hard enough, I can take you with me. You know, probably."

"So it won't hurt? Or I won't die on the way back or anything?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby. Just clear your mind and leave the rest to me. Got it?"

"Got it, I think."

Leah squeezed her eyes shut and cleared her mind on everything but one thing: Professor Crumb's office. She squeezed Ink's hand. She could feel his nervousness. Within minutes, she could feel both of them levitating right out of the room, like they were going through a wormhole of time and space.

Ink opened his eyes, and tightened his grip in panic when he saw everything pass them by so quickly. _Whatever you do, DON'T. LET. GO._ Leah thought directly to his mind. _Just calm down and keep your mind wide open to anything. Don't be afraid._ She felt him relax a little. It made her relax more, too.

Leah reopened her eyes, to find them both in a lobby. Thousands of doors surrounded them.

_Where are we?_ Ink thought.

"We're in the wizard council center." Leah answered him, much to his surprise. "You can talk out loud. We're not really here. No one can hear or see us."

"Oh. Got it." He glanced at all the doors around them. "Which one is Crumbs in?"

Leah wondered the same thing. She thought deeper into the door they were facing. No sign of him. She started on the next door.

Ink watched curiously as Leah's eyes raced back and forth at nothing in particular. She blinked a few times. She looked up. They both instantly levitated up six doors.

"He's in here." Leah finally stated.

"Great!" Ink smiled. He reached for the door knob, but it when right through him. He tried again, but the same thing was the result. Leah rolled her eyes as he flapped his hand back and forth through the knob. She finally sighed and pulled him straight through the door.

Ink looked around in amazement. "H-how did-" he began.

"We're not really here, genius. We can't hold or grab anything. It would alter reality in another demention or something like that. But that's not important now."

Before he could respond, Leah heard another voice in the room. She covered his mouth and walked closer to the large desk, where Professor Crumbs was sitting, shuffling through some files.

Ink ducked out of view from him. Leah gave him a _'seriously?'_ glance.

"Right. No one can see us. Got it."

The door behind them swung open. Chancellor Rootie Tootietootie busted in, carrying a clipboard similar to Coach Rickwood's earlier. "Professor, you have _got_ to see this!" He set the clipboard in front of him. "Jeremy Rickwood was testing the kids at the WOC today, and Leah Graybeck's timing is _incredible._"

Leah and Ink exchanged glances. They quickly looked back at Crumbs.

"That _is_ incredible," Crumbs replied. "And from the other records here, everyone has written just about the same thing: 'She's a very bright and talented girl who seems perfectly harmless.'" Ink nudged her with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rootie asked him.

"They say she can control her temper even better than the average _child_, let alone werewolf. And she could easily be a very powerful wizard one day. Very useful in the wizard world. She's got a good head on her shoulders; she was definately raised right."

"What are you saying, Professor?"

"I am saying, it would be a shame to see anything bad happen to this girl."

Leah beamed. Ink gave her a fistpound. "See?" he smiled. "Nothin' to worry about."

"Have you decided on Mason Graybeck and Alex Russo's trial yet?" Rootie asked.

_"Graybeck."_ Leah mentally corrected. "Alex _Graybeck._" Leah knew her mother would be frustrated to be called _Russo_ again. Graybeck was the only name Leah had ever heard when it came to her mother. It just felt weird for her to be called something other than that.

"In all my years, I haven't seen a family more close-knit than these people. It's very surprising, after knowing for such a long time."

"Meaning?"

"But the law is still broken, Rootie. The law is the law."

Leah's heart sank right there on the spot.

"If only there were a way for Alex to become a full wizard," Crumbs sighed. "But, that is that. I am done with this conversation."

**Hope you all enjoyed. Sorry for the cliff hanger, but I have a LOT planned for Chapter 14! Review your thoughts, please! :)**

**For updates, hints, other projects, randomness, and the ADD thoughts that come to mind, Follow my twitter: ****ShayDenney311**


	24. Generation Love

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 24 - Generation Love

**Alex's POV**

I heard a light knock on my door. I sighed.

"Come in," I called. Surprisingly, Harper walked in slowly.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hey. When did you get here?" I smiled, then remembered that I was home alone with the doors locked. "How did you get in here?"

She shrugged. "I asked Justin to poof me over. And, just out of curiosity, why'd you lock the doors if you're home?"

"I really don't know. Since they took Leah, I haven't felt safe." I shuddered. "Especially when Mason's not here. I just feel like any minute someone's going to burst through the door and take me away. It scares me."

Harper raised her eyebrows. "You know that's not going to happen, right?"

"I know. But it just feels that way." I sighed.

She curiously looked down at the book in front of me. "Since when do you scrapbook?"

I bit my lip. "I dunno, when I was a few months pregnant with Leah, I found some old pictures of Mason and I from when we were in high school that were jumbled up in a box, and I guess I wanted to keep them in a safer place. Then when Leah was born, I felt the need to creatively document everything she did." I shrugged. "I'm not very good at it, though."

Harper flipped back to the first page, which was a purple sheet of paper with blue matting around the pictures. The picture on the right was of me, holding Leah for the first time. I don't think I could've had a bigger smile than the one in that shot. The picture next to it was of the three of us, and probably one of my favorites. I was smiling down at my beautiful newborn daughter, happy tears glistening in my eyes. Mason was kissing my cheek, and Leah was looking up at us. Right as a nurse was ready to snap the picture, An astonishing smile spread across Leah's face. The doctor gasped.

_"In all my years, I have never seen a newborn smile that young."_ he had told us. I examined our daughter, who was still smiling.

_"I heard that newborn baby smiles were actually gass,"_ Mason stated awkwardly. I snickered a little. Way to ruin the moment.

_"That's usually what it is," _he said, smiling down at Leah, _"You can tell by the look in her eyes. Most babies haven't adapted to moving their eyes on command, but she's focusing directly on you two. That's not gass; that's a __**smile.**__" _From then on we knew that Leah Nicole Graybeck was a special child.

Harper continued flipping through the pages and reading every quote and sidenote I had written until she reached the end. "Wow, Alex, these are amazing! Better than I could have even attempted!" Harper praised, "You really should do more of these!"

I smiled and pulled three more out of the box. "Got one for every year," I smiled. Harper scanned through each book with amazement, until she finished the last one. "But Leah's five, and you only have four of them. What made you stop?"

I hesitated, but pulled out an unfinished book from a box under the bed. Loose paper and sticker sheets fell from the pages as I set it between us on the bed. "I started this one earlier, but I kind of stopped when, well, all of this happened." I looked down at the few pages I had started, mostly of Leah with the family: making cookies with her Nonna, playing (or _winning_, should we say) video games with her uncle Max, Justin pushing her on the swingset in Central Park, putting whip cream on my dad's face while he was sleeping, her birthday party (_before_ the catastrophe), I even found a picture of both of us crashed on the couch together that Harper had taken. I smiled at that one; she looked exactly like me.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

Mason slowly and quietly snuck through the front door late that night, expecting Alex to be in bed already. He was surprised to find her on the curled up in a ball on the couch, sound asleep. He smiled, then sat down beside her. She smirked a little in her sleep. _"Come back over here, Leah,"_ she mumbled. Mason smiled at his wife. _"Leah? Where are you? Leah?"_ his smile faded when he heard the fright in her voice.

_"Leah!...NO! Let go of her! No!" _she tossed and turned and fidgited. Mason tried to consol her. "Calm down, love. It's alright," he told her, stroking her hair. But she continued to fight her invisible intruder. _"No! Leave her alone! STOP!..Leah! Leah!"_

"Alex, wake up! Alex!" Mason shook her shoulders. Alex's first impulse of being woken up from a nightmare was to smack whoever was nearest with all her might, and that's what she did. "Oof," he muttered, but continued to shake her. She kept fighting him until her eyes snapped open to find Mason holding both her wrists. She caught her breath, taking in what was going on.

"You were only dreaming, love," Mason soothed her, rubbing her back as she sat up.

"Yeah, more like a nightmare," she grumbled.

"Tell me about it then."

She sighed. "Well, you, Leah, and I were throwing a frisbee in the park, having a really good time together, until the frisbee went off into the woods. Leah took after it, and she didn't come back right away. And then-"

"I kind of heard the rest, you talk in your sleep," he shrugged with a smirk.

"Yeah?" she smiled a little. He nodded. He smile faded as she looked in the other direction. "But the dream got me thinking."

"You? Thinking?" He joked, "My goodness, darling; that dream must have shaken you up."

"Hardee har har," she playfully punched his shoulder.

"But what were you thinging about?"

She looked down, "Us."

Mason raised an eyebrow. "Why is 'us' a bad thing?"

"No, no no! Not the _normal_ us! I mean the other us. The bad us."

There's another us? Huh?" Mason asked in confusion.

"Not _us_ us. I mean like_ us._ Like the not good us."

"So there's a good us, and a bad us?"

"No! Like the- oh you know what I mean!"

Mason blinked a few times, "Sorry love, but I can't say that I'm following you."

Alex groaned. "As in the _trial_. That's the bad us."

"Oh." he realized.

She sighed. "Exactly! I've been so worried over Leah that I haven't even _thought_ about what's going to happen to us. What if they decide that the law's still broken? What if we can never be together ever again?"

He took her hand in reassurance. "I've been thinking about that too. But I choose not to worry about that. All I know is this: win or lose the the trial, they can't keep us apart forever. They can try, but they can't stop destiny." He intertwined their fingers and touched her diamond ring, making her smile. "I promised you that I would love you forever and ever, and I _always_ keep my promises."

Alex smiled and nestled into his chest as he pulled a blanket over the two of them. "Mason?"

"Yes, love?"

"I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too."

She looked up at him and into his eyes. "How did I get so lucky to find someone as amaizing as you?"

Mason grinned and twirled her hair around his finger. "It's fate; not luck." :)

Alex smiled and yawned. "Tired, darling?" he asked. She nodded and used his chest as a pillow. "Time for bed then."

She held his had hostage as he tried to get up. "Carry me." she mumbled. Mason smiled and did as he was told.

**Okay, so this chapter wasn't that important. Not one of my faves, but I'm really excited for y'all to read 25! I've already started working on it (which is why this one's so short) and I think you're gonna like it :)**

**Thank you for reading! Review if you like:) and if you wanna be my best friend, follow my twitter! ****ShayDenney311**


	25. All the Right Moves

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 25 - All the Right Moves

**Author's Note: **I'm really excited about this chapter, and I don't know why. I've just been dying to write this chapter forever. Easily excited and amused I guess :) Enjoy and review!

**Third Person POV**

Ink hesitated for a minute, then knocked on the girls' door. Adele answered seconds later, with a scowl expression as usual.

"Whataya want, Crayola butt?" She sneered.

"I need to talk to Leah," he informed her, ignoring the title she gave him.

Adele snorted, "What makes you think she's in _my_ room, Pen brain?"

"Because it's her room too."

"What do you want with her, Refrigerator art?"

"None of your beesguts. Now let me talk to her."

"Listen here, you walking pre-school wallpaper-"

"No, _you_ listen here, you_ walking Halloween costume_!" Ink interupted her angerly, "Why don't you let me speak to my friend, and you go back to under a three-year-old's bed where you belong. How does that sound?"

Adele was surprised at his retort, not used to the younger kids talking back to her. She bent down to his level and whispered in his ear. "Touch any of my stuff, and you'll be diging your art supplies out of at dragon's cave. _Got it?_"

Ink rolled his eyes, obviously not effected by her remark. Adele scoffed and left the room. Ink's eyes rested on Leah, who was curled up in a ball, sadly gazing out the window.

"Hey, Leah?" He asked. She turned her head to face him, looking sadder than ever. She didn't reply. "Leah, just because they said-"

"Yes it is, Ink!" she interupted, pain in her voice. "You heard them, _The law is still broken; the law is the law._ They're going to break my parents up and probably make them go to different jails. And I'll be stuck in a foster home." A small tear escaped her eye. "It's over, Ink. It's_ over_."

Ink crossed his arms over his chest. "Listen, Leah." He told her, "Who was it that said I need to embrace my fletch?"

"Me," she sighed.

"Who said I shouldn't hide myself?"

"Me."

"Who said to 'be the change you want to see'?"

Leah gave him a quizzical glance. "Ghandi?"

Ink gave himself a facepalm. "Okay, who told _me_ to be the change I want to see?"

Leah looked down, "Me."

He sat down beside his friend. "Well then, practice what you preach! _Be the change you want to see._ If you don't want all that to happen, then do something about it!"

She gave him a small smile. "I guess you're right, but what could _I_ do? I'm just a kid."

"A kid that can do amazing things. You're no ordinary kindergatener, Lee. You're extrordinary." He smiled back at her. "We just need to come up with a plan..."

"But how? We need to go somewhere and actually _do something_ that someone would take note of, so my astral projection is kinda useless."

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," he said as he paced. He snapped his fingers. "Oh! I remembered why I came in here! And I think it will help us."

"Well great! What is it?"

"First, who do you think we need to talk to about this? Who do you know that could help us?" He ripped out a blank piece of paper from Adele's notebook on the desk, hoping to tick her off a little in the process. He pulled a box of Crayola markers out of his back pocket.

"I would say my parents, but they don't want me to get involved with this." She shrugged.

"That, and you're not supposed to be in contact with them unless it's visiting day, and all three of you could be severly punnished if you did contact with them.." he reminded her.

She shot him a _look_. "Can you think on the simpler side for once?"

He sneered playfully. "Well look back at what you were just saying ten minutes ago, _then_ tell me who has room to talk."

Leah scoffed jokingly and flipped her hair, giving her best Angele and Adele imitation. She froze for a minute, then snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Ink asked curiously.

"Uncle Justin! He'll help us!"

"Wait, who's Uncle Dustin?"

"Justin." She corrected. "He's my mom's brother, and he's the family wizard. He's really smart when it comes to laws and legal stuff. He'll know what to do!"

"Great!" he smiled.

"But how is this gonna help us? We can't leave the property."

He grinned. "If there's a will, there's a way."

"But what way is that?"

"I learned something new about my fletch." He explained. "If I draw a certain location, the drawing can take us there!"

"How does it work?" She asked excitely.

"Well, I draw an overhead drawing of a place, I touch it, and it will take us to that place!"

"That's really neat!" She told him. "How did you figure that out?"

He shrugged. "I was doodling last night in my room, and I started drawing the candy shop across the street from my house. I touched the paper, wishing I could go there again, and then I was there! I stayed there and ate free samples for an hour."

"Wow!" She exclaimed, "Do you think that could get us to Justin?"

"Definately." He answered. He rested the paper on a book and propped it in his lap. "You're just gonna have to explain it as best as you can. Do you remember what it looks like?"

"Mostly, but I should probably check if he's there or not."

"Good thinking. See? Your gifts aren't looking so useless now."

She silenced him with her index finger and squeezed her eyes shut. Ink watched in fascination as a look of concentration grew deeper and deeper on her face as she remained motionless. Seconds later, her eyes snapped open. "He's there." she told him.

"Awesome. Now start describing!"

"Kay. Well it's mostly a big rectangle, with part of the wall made of brick. It has red sofas with patternized silver trim and frame-" she continued a perfect description, talking a mile a minute as if she was standing in the room right then. Ink was amazed by her wicked smart memory; she was even describing the tiny, barely noticable details, like a crack in the wall and _all_ of the knick knack items on the shelves. He drew as fast as she spoke, sketching a perfect diagram, down to each miniscule detail and shade of color. He set the marker down to admire his work.

"Ready?" He asked, offering her his hand.

"Yep," she replied. She took it. Ink closed his eyes and rested his finger on the drawing. Leah watched the picture slowly take form, looking like the overview of the actual lair. She gasped in amazement.

Ink set the paper on the ground, not removing his finger from the sketch. He squatted into a pre-jump position. "Three..." he began.

"Wait, how are we-" Leah panicked.

"Two.."

"Ink how are-"

"One!" He jumped into the picture, dragging her with him.

"Ahhh!" she wailed. She closed her eyes as they crashed into a familiar carpet. She stood up and dusted herself off. Ink tapped her shoulder and pointed to the ceiling, where a small vortex was slowly circling. She took that as an explanation of how to get back. She turned around to see the back of someone's head, which was facing a wizard computer.

"Uncle Justin!" Leah cried.

"LEAH!" Justin exclaimed. He dove out of his seat and scooped her into an off the ground hug. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?" He noticed Ink in the floor. "And uh, who's your boyfriend?"

Ink and Leah exchanged disgusted glances. "EW!" they cried in unison. Justin chuckled.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend!" Leah confirmed. "He's my _friend_ Ink. I met him at the WOC."

He gave him a quizzical look. "Your name is 'Ink'?"

Leah rolled her eyes. "It's his initials- but that's not the point. The point is, we need your help."

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"So let me get this straight," Justin stated. "You snuck around the Wizard Observation Center's rules by escaping via Astral Projection to the Wizard Council, where you eavesdropped on top secret information. After overhearing something you weren't supposed to hear, you come to _me _to fix it?"

"Um, yes?" Leah said cautiously.

Justin smirked. "You most definately are Alex's daughter."

Leah smiled. "So, you'll help us?"

"Well, considering the fact that every time your mother messed something up, I was the one who had to fix it from the day she was born until she ran off, I'll help you guys; for old time's sake." His smile turned into a shrug. "I just don't know what I can do."

Ink and Leah exchanged glances.

"But Uncle Justin, you're the family wizard! You're like the smartest wizard there is! You know all about this law stuff!"

"Listen Leah-" he started.

"Please, Uncle Justin? Mom and Dad don't have that much longer together. They're probably going to be split up and put into different jails. They'll be banished from ever seeing each other again. And I'll most likely end up in a foster home, and never see them, or you guys, again." She looked at her uncle with pleading eyes. "Please, Uncle Justin. Don't just do it for me. Do it for your sister. You just got her back; do you really want to lose her again?"

Justin stared back at the little girl. Tiny tears welled up in her brown eyes. She looked exactly like Alex when she was upset. He hated seeing her that way too. He thought to himself for a minute. Then snapped his fingers. "I have an idea."

**Ooh, Justin's got a plan...what could it be? Chapter 26, coming ASAP! :)**

**For updates, other projects, quotes, sneak peeks, and randomness, follow my twitter! :) ****ShayDenney311**** (same as my user on here:)**


	26. Far Away

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 26 - Far Away

**Justin's POV**

"Russo...Russo..." Helen searched in her large dust covered book. "Ah, here you are! Russo, Justin. Russo family wizard, and...Elementary school principal..?" She gave me a quizzical glance.

I raised an eyebrow. "It's _my_ career choice."

"Very true, Justin," she sighed, "but it's kind of unusual for a family wizard to take a job in the real world, due to all the free will of magic and all."

"I understand, Helen. But I do like to have a relatively normal life."

"Respect," she finally agreed, holding her hand in the air. "So anyhoo, what can I do you for today?"

I thought to myself for a minute, then made my descision. I bravely explained my plan to her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Is that _really_ what you want to do?" she asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. "I haven't had a request like this since...ever."

"Yes." I declared. "Is it possible?"

"We ususally don't do such a thing.." she began.

"Please, you have to." I pleaded.

"Justin I-"

"Can you at least see if it's possible? For me?" I wiggled my eyebrows flirtatiously. _"Helen?"_

She giggled her annoying chuckle, which meant I would get my way. "Okay, Justin. I'll look it up and get back to you. Call me a genie; consider your request _granted."_

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**In the Lair**

"Gosh, Leah, this is a _lot_ of hard work!" Ink informed her, struggling with the words in the spell book as he sat on the red sofa.

"What do you mean? This is a piece of cake!" She replied, looking up from another spell book on the podium.

"Yeah, a piece of cake for a _super genius,_" He reminded her, eyeing the stack of already read books next to her. "I, on the other hand, am still normal for seven."

"Ink, you're anything _but_ normal," she smirked. "But I guess you're right." She sighed, realizing that it was pretty abnormal for a five year old to read at a middle, almost _high_ school level. The more she read, the more her reading level increased. She thought of back when she was home, reading fifth grade books aloud to her mom before being tucked in. She shook it off and groaned, slamming the finished spell book shut.

"There is _nothing_ in here that's useful!" She groaned, laying her head on the podium.

"Why don't we head back to the WOC? We almost got caught yesterday," Ink reminded her.

"Uncle Justin said to stay put until he gets back," she replied.

"He left around five, Lee," he checked his spiderman watch. "It's almost eight-"

"So? That means it's almost six in the wizard world. Dinner's not 'til six thirty. Let's wait five more minutes. Okay?"

"Well, what if Miss Janine's in a good mood for once and decided to make dinner early for a change?"

"What are the odds of that?"

"What are the odds of Justin walking in within the next five minutes?" He argued. _Whoosh._ The children spun around to see Justin walk through the portal door.

"-Apparently a lot." Ink finished himself.

"Uncle Justin!" Leah exclaimed, hugging him the second he closed the door.

"Hey, kiddo," he smiled.

"What's the deal?" Ink asked curiously.

Justin's smile widened as he explained his plan to the children.

"Now, I can't promise you everything will go according to plan," he explained, sensing their excitement, "But I think it's out only shot."

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**at the WOC**

"Angele, do me a favor and go get Leah and Ink for dinner, they're in your room." Miss Janine asked exhaustedly, struggling to get Trace in his booster seat.

Angele looked up from the tv with an eye roll. "Why can't you do it? I haven't seen this episode!"

"Because I have to get the table ready, serve everyone's meal, pretty much force the food down a grumpy two year old's throat, and wash the dishes when that's done." She snapped. "Would you rather do that?"

Angele sighed, "Fine, whatever." She almost pulled herself up, until she saw Adele enter the room from the kitchen. She slumped back in her seat. "Adele, Miss Janine wants you to go get the freaks from our room."

Janine rolled her hazel eyes and brushed back her black bangs. "What are you watching anyway?" she asked, stepping towards the tv.

"_Vampires of Valentine Lane,"_ Angele explained, not looking up from the tv. "It's about a family of vampires that own an unsucessful taco shop who's three teenagers all go to school while trying to pretend they have a normal life."

"Where do they come up with this stuff?" Adele asked, planting herself on the coffee table.

Janine grabbed the remote and clicked the pause button. Before the twins could protest, she replied, "You can finish your show after dinner. Go get Ink and Leah."

Angele let out the most over-dramatic sigh she was capable of. She walked past Janine with a devilish look burning in her eyes.

"Now." She replied.

Angele grabbed her sister by the hair, pulling her out of her seat and down the hall, ignoring the protest. They came to the girls' section, peeking into the room slowly. _The room was empty._

"Um, Miss Janine? They're not-" Adele started. Before she could finish her sentence, Ink and Leah rose from the notebook paper on the nightstand, collapsing into the floor. Angele gasped.

"Nevermind! They're-" Adele continued. Her sister elbowed her in the ribcage. She flung open the door.

_"Ah-ha!"_ Angele snapped, making the kids jump in surprise. "You guys escaped the property!"

"Wait 'til Miss Janine hears about this!" Adele added evily.

"Wait! Guys! It's not what it looks like!-" Leah tried to explain, but it was too late. The twins took off down the hall, screaming bloody murder.

"Oh, no." Ink breathed.

Leah squeezed her eyes shut, using every ounce of her power. _We're in trouble! Emergency! Mommy, please hurry!_

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"Knock knock!" Alex called as she walked into her parents' home, not even bothering to knock. After all, it was still home to her, so why even? She laughed at her own minor contradiction. Mason rolled his eyes and smiled at her childlike sense of humor. Alex gave him a smirk and took his hand.

"Hello, mijah," Theresa smiled, looking up from her laptop. She closed it slightly and set it on the coffee table. "What's got you so excited?"

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" she nearly sang, her eyes shining like the stars.

Theresa pulled out her phone. "June twenty-seventh?"

"No! It's-" she paused, "Well it is, but that's not what I meant."

"Then don't keep us in suspense, what is it?" Jerry asked from the dining room table, where he was clearing off the dishes from dinner.

"Mason, do you want to tell them?" Alex asked with a smile.

"You go ahead, love." He smiled back, equally excited.

"Alrighty," she grinned. "Tomorrow's-"

"HOLD IT HOLD IT HOLD _EVERYTHING_!" Max wailed, nearly dragging Hailey down the stairs with him. He dove over the couch like a penguin sliding down a hill, attacking the remote when he found it; leaving him face first in the floor with his feet on the back of the couch. Hailey chose a simpler route by dashing around the couch as he scrambled back into his seat.

"Hurry! Hurry! We're gonna miss it!" Hailey yelped, elbowing him impatiently.

"I'm going! I'm going!" He yelped back, eyes glued to the tv.

"What's going on?" Theresa demanded.

_"There's one hundred and four days of summer vacation, and school comes along just to end it.."_ the television sang.

Alex folded her arms. "You interrupted a _huge_ announcement to watch Phineas and Ferb?"

"It's a new one!" Max explained. He and Hailey both continued to belt out the song. Theresa, sitting next to them, winced and moved herself and the pink computer to the reclining chair.

"Max? You have a tv in your room." Jerry reminded him.

"It's not HD in there," Hailey explained, as glued to the tube as Max.

"Max, we're kind of in the middle of someth-" Mason started.

_"Shhhhhhh!"_ the couple exclaimed, putting their fingers over their lips. They turned back to their show.

"Max has finally met his perfect match." Alex whispered to Mason. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"As you were saying, Alex?" Theresa asked, ignoring Hailey and Max laughing hysterically at the cartoon.

Also ignoring them, Alex smiled a mile wide. "It's been a whole month!"

Theresa's face lit up the same way. Jerry was confused. "What does that mean?" He asked.

Mason squeezed her hand. She squeezed his back. _"Leah's coming home tomorrow!"_

Before anyone had a chance to reply, Alex's smile faded. Her eyes lost their shine. Her whole body seemed to freeze.

"Mijah? What's the matter?" Theresa asked concerningly.

Mason glanced at her in surprise. He squeezed her hand. She didn't squeeze back. "Alex? What happened?"

_"It's Leah." _Were the only words able to force through her lips. Alex frantically dashed to her father's side. "Dad, the carpet can be driven by _anyone_, right?"

He scratched his head in thought. "Um, yeah, I guess. If by that you mean there's a magic engine that makes it go,-"

"So, even a certain mortal could drive it, without a problem?" her hands instantly started shaking.

"Yes, but I-" Alex cut him off and sped frantically down the stairs into the garage, easily dodging the low pipe on the stairs. Mason dashed after her. She glanced around the room, full-on panic mode.

"Alex, love, are you sure you're not jumping to conclusions too soon? You do that a lot, you know." Mason watched curiously as Alex tore through the dusty boxes in the floor.

"Leah's in trouble! I can _feel_ it." she spotted an old rug rolled up on top of the shelf. She jumped, but it was quite out of reach. "I just have to go. I need to make sure she's okay." she put one foot on one of the shelves, kicking some old books into the floor. Mason could sense her fear.

"Alex, what exactly do you plan on doing?" Mason asked cautiously.

She stepped on the next shelf and reached for the carpet; it was still too far. "Easy, I'm.." she froze and realized that she hadn't even thought about what she would do when she arrived. "I'll think of something. I just have to get over there. Immediately."

Mason sighed. "Well then I'm-" his response was interrupted by Alex's foot slipping on a potion she knocked over. Her instant reflex from slipping was to let go with her hands. She screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't feel herself hit the ground. She reopened her eyes, to see that she was in Mason's arms.

"I'm coming with you." he declared, setting her down gently.

"Are you sure, Mason? Flying carpets are kind of hazardous to someone who's never been in one. Not to mention how much trouble we'd be in if they caught both of us-"

He pulled her back into his arms and cut her off by pressing his lips against hers. It took her by surprise, but she didn't mind at all. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

He pulled away and smiled. "I don't care. I'm coming. Whatever it takes to keep my family safe, I'll do. She's my daughter too, so we're in this together."

She smiled too. "Forever."

"And ever." he added.

She backed away and pulled a cardboard box out from under a dusty table. "Well, we're gonna need these." she handed him a helmet and a life jacket. He gave her a funny look, but put them both on as Alex climbed back up the shelf and pulled down the carpet.

Mason watched cautiously as she unrolled it and pressed a button from underneath. The dusty carpet went stiff and levitated up to their level. Alex grinned and climbed on one side.

"Okay, lean right to go right, left to go left, pull back to go down- no, pull back is _up_, and lean down to go down. Got it." she clutched the end of the carpet, then noticed Mason, who was still standing on the other side. "Mason? You coming?"

He examined around the carpet with caution. "Are you _sure_ you know how to drive this thing?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Of course I do! Dad and Justin taught me."

"Darling, please take into consideration that you learned nearly _ten years ago_."

She thought for a minute. "Wow. I learned how to fly a magic carpet _ten years ago_. We're getting old, dude." she shuddered at the thought of getting any older. "Anyway, it's now or never. Our baby needs us!"

Mason sighed, "For Leah." he carefully climbed next to her. She slightly pulled up on the edge. The carpet pointed up.

"Are you sure-" he started. Alex didn't let him finish. She leaned forward, and the carpet carried them away into the night sky, super speed.

Jerry and Max dashed down the stairs. "_Wait! Guys!-" _Jerry called after them, but he was too late. He heard their screams echo off the buildings. "This isn't good, this isn't good." he paced in circle, unsure of what to do next.

Max tapped his father's shoulder. "Don't you think we should've told them that the breaks are broken before they took off?" he asked curiously.

Jerry sighed. "Well all we can do now is hope for the best."

**Dun dun nunnnnnn! What's gonna happen next? 27 coming sooooooon! :)**

**Twitter - ****ShayDenney311**


	27. Gravity

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 27 - Gravity

**Alex's POV**

I was quietly steering the carpet to avoid passing birds and clouds, squinting from the warm sunlightand enjoying the cool breeze from being so high up, when I felt Mason stirring in his sleep. I smirked at him. His eyelids fluttered a bit as he tried to focus. He lifted his head and glanced up.

"_Ahhrgharah_!" he mumbled in a groggy sense of alarm. He jerked his body when he realized what was going on, sending him flying off the edge and plummiting downwards.

"Oh my gosh, _Mason!"_ I wailed. I yanked on the left corner as hard as possible. The carpet and I curved in a fast downward spin, going straight through the clouds below. If you've ever dreamed of touching a cloud, it's nothing like a cotton ball that you can make distinct shapes through, or even land on, like tv exaggerates. It's just icey, misty wet air, that melts into cold water if you even get close to it. Clouds are not helpful in any way, and they're also kind of blinding when you fly right into them. It made it that much harder to keep track of Mason.

I quickly flipped the carpet down until I was directly below him. He landed next to me, face down with his hair brushed backwards from the strong wind.

"You okay?" I asked as he scrambled back to a sitting position. I scanned him over as he fixed his hair. He didn't look injured, thankfully.

"Not exactly what I'd call a nice awakening," he replied, "But yes, I'm fine."

"Believe me, it woke me up too," I smirked.

"You know, even though I thought I was plummiting to my doom, that whole action movie flip was pretty cool to see," he complimented with a playful nudge.

I laughed. "Dad warned me a million times to never try something like that, but I guess desperate times cause desperate measures."

He yawned. "What time is it?"

I glanced at my wrist. "We're getting close to the Wizard World, the magic's making my watch go nuts."

"How long have I been out?"

"Just a few hours." A small yawn escaped.

"Have you been up the whole time?" He asked, surprise and concern in his voice. I looked away without a reply. "Alex-"

"Well what was I supposed to do, Mason? Stop at a hotel?" I didn't mean to snap, but I guess the lack of sleep was making me irritable.

But he wasn't affected by the remark. "Alex, you need sleep." He wrapped his arm around me. "Do you want me to drive?"

I raised an eyebrow. "_You_ know how to fly a magic carpet?"

"...okay, maybe you can sleep later."

"That's what I thought." I smiled.

We sat in silence for about fifteen minutes, until an abnormally large purple cloud came into view. The cloud seemed to glow, with white sparks gravitated through it. Completely invisible to the eyes of mere mortals, besides former wizards like myself, this was the intrance to the Wizard World.

"Hold on tight!" I warned him. He didn't have a chance to protest. He clung to the carpet and my side and screamed while I laughed as I picked up speed. We busted through the cloud exhileratingly fast. Suddenly, I felt at home. Dragons, firebirds, and wizards on carpets and broomsticks zoomed around us. I smiled down at the city below, where the buildings twisted and turned, magic roamed free, and nothing was dull. I had forgotten how amazing everything here was.

"Darling, wouldn't it have been a lot faster if we would've just went through the portal?" Mason questioned. I almost glared, but I froze. I groaned, blushing from my own stupidity. Mega facepalm moment.

"I don't think things all the way through when i panic..?" I explained pathetically.

"I _tried_ to tell you.." he muttered under his breath. I yanked the carpet right, making us spin in a flip. He screamed again as I laughed.

"Okay, now keep an eye out for the Observation Center." I told him.

"What exactly am I supposed to look out for?" He questioned.

I glanced over the edge as we flew. "Hmm, well, it's an apartment-like brick building with some trees-" I raised an eyebrow. "And a giant holligram of the sign..? Whoa!"

I looked down at the buildings below us. Each one had a neon holligram as high as we were with the name glowing. Wow, a lot can change in five or six years without access to the Wizard World. The signs actually made finding it no harder than searching on Google Earth.

"WOC." Mason read, pointing to a neon holligram. "Is that it?"

"Looks like it," I told him. "Hang on." I reached for thw pulley string from under the front and yanked up. We kept moving like nothing had happened.

"Uh, Alex? We passed it." He informed me. I yanked again. Nothing.

"It's back there.." he continued. I jerked as hard as I could. _Nothing._

"Alex- I think we're acctually going faster now-"

I jerked and yanked with all my might. _This can't be happening. Not now._

"Alex-"

"I KNOW. Mason! I KNOW we passed it! Stating the obvious is _NOT HELPING."_ I finally snapped. Oh, and you'll never guess what else snapped.

I held the broken string in my shaking hand. No, I wasn't sad. I was downright ready to punch somebody. Angry hot tears blurred my vision. If you think "road rage" is dangerous. wait'll you try this.

Luckily, the wind stopped wipping my hair around my face, which helped. That is, until I realized _why_ it stopped. I froze in horror.

"Well, we're slowing now. That's good, right?" Mason stated, on the bright side as usual.

"Mason, that's not good on our part," my voice cracked. I could hear the invisible engine rumble unevenly and slow. I grabbed Mason's wrist. "Honey, hold my hand."

"What are you doing?" he replied cautiously.

_"Something crazy."_ I said softly. Our fingers intertwined as the carpet grew slower. I gripped the side with my opposite hand and ordered him to do the same.

'Three." I said.

"Two." he said.

_"One."_ we said together. The carpet started lowering. It slowed moving forward, but the downward speed grew. Rapidly fast.

"Lean!" I ordered, nudging him to the left. It weighed his side down, making us flip as we plummited.

"How does this help us?" he demanded.

"Just trust me!" I told him. He barely moved. "Mason, you have to put _all_ of your weight to the left! Do you trust me?"

"I do, but-"

I looked him straight in the eye. "Mason, I love you. You have to lean. I promise we'll make it. Do you trust me?"

He glanced into my eyes. "Okay," he told me. He shifted all his weight to the left. The carpet flipped, making us fall upside down. I jutted my whole body forward, shoving the carpet towards our destination. Our weight on the bottom instead of the top angled our landing. So instead of plummiting to our deaths, we landed carpet first into the flat roof of the WOC.

"You did it!" Mason exclaimed happily, planting a kiss on my cheek. I smiled exhaustedly before I collapsed into his lap, falling asleep instantly.

**XxXxXxXxX**

When I woke up, we were no longer on the roof. I sat up in shock, glancing around the unfamiliar room. I pushed aside the thick white blanket and panicked; I had _no_ idea where I was.

The brown wood door cracked, revealing a tiny fragile face with dark chocolate eyes. A smile spread across her face.

"Daddy, she's awake!" she called past the door. She dashed to my side, scrambling into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her securely.

"Hi, baby!" I cried as I hugged her. I kissed the top of her head and wiped a tear from my eye.

"I was afraid you weren't gonna wake up," Leah told me, wiping her little glass tears into my shirt.

I smiled and pushed her bangs away from her face. "You really think I'm just gonna ditch you like that? C'mon, kiddo, you know me better than that."

The door opened again. This time it was Mason.

"Well if it isn't Sleeping Beauty, finally lifted from her spell," he smiled as he entered. "Emphasis on the _beauty."_

I smiled and took his hand. "How long have I been out?"

"Nine hours and twenty-three minutes," Leah answered for him. I raised an eyebrow as she continued. "Ms. Janine said that the crash must've startled you, which is why you fell asleep. And Daddy said that you stayed awake all night flying, so you needed some rest.

"That's pretty much how I would've summed it up," Mason explained with a smirk. I glanced around at my little family. For the first time in a while, everything felt the way it did before the disaster. I felt safe.

I checked my phone which was on the headboard. Two new messages from Max.

Message One: _Dad didn't get to tell you that the brakes on the corndog are broken. Reply when you land so we know you made it!_

Corndog? What was that supposed to mean? I clicked the next message.

Message Two: _Haha, autocorrect. Carpet, not corndog. Ha ha ha ha ha._

I smirked a little and checked the times. Both were from over ten hours ago. I read them alloud to Mason and Leah.

"Does Uncle Max even _have_ autocorrect on his phone?" Leah asked.

Mason paused. "I don't think so..."

I chuckled and popped out the keyboard. _Hey, we landed early this morning. (I was asleep for the past few hours.) Tell Dad we're fine, but the carpet probably won't make it back._

Twenty minutes later I was woken up enough to leave the room. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and started out the door. Leah sped infront of me and raised her arms. I smiled and slund her on my hip. She rested her cheek on my shoulder as we made our way to the living room. I froze.

"Hello, Ms. Russo," on old voice said.

"Greyback." I corrected. I held Leah tighter.

"What is today's date, Ms. Russo?"

"June twenty-eighth." I said slowly.

"Precisely." Professor Crumbs replied. He started slowly towards us. I could feel Mason tense up from behind me. I wrapped my arms protectively around my daughter when I felt her shaking from nervousness.

"It has been exactly one month since Leah was sent to the Wizard Observation Center. The official, and final, trial will begin at four PM today." And with that, he was gone.

**Sorry for the cliff-hanger. I really hate doing that to y'all, cause I know I kind of temporarily ditched this. But don't worry, I'm back! Chapter 28 is in the works. I promise (:**

**Twitter - ****ShayDenney311**

**Soo..I've been kind of thinking about a Sequel, but I'm not 100% sure if I'll go through with it. The hits/reviews/favorites have been going kind of downward during these past few chapters, so are y'all losing interest? Am I boring you or something? Let me know, and I'll finish this and move on to another one eventually. But if you think I should do the sequel, review or tweet me to let me know!**

**Twitter - ****ShayDenney311**


	28. This Love is Ours

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Chapter 28 - This Love is Ours

**Author's Note: **OHMYGOSHYOUGUYS. I am SOOO sorry for taking so long! I had half of this chapter written, then I got grounded (luckily I have a mommy that understands and allows me to use my laptop for writing purposes:) so when I finally went to add more, and I learned that I didn't save it. Serious angst. But thank you all for being so patient. Your sweet reviews and messages keep me going. Thank you for all of the support.

**Sequel News: **I wrote the prolouge for the sequel (still trying to come up with a name) and I might post it after the final chapter, but I think I will write the first few chapters before I actually start uploading them. Like I said, all of you have been so kind to me and ditching you would be completely unfair. So those who follow me on twitter (** ShayDenney311**) will probably be updated on this more. xo, Shay. :)

**Third Person POV**

Leah impatiently drummed her chipped pink fingernails on the wall while she listen to the phone ring four times. She almost hung up until she heard a suprising girl voice answer, "Alex?"

She pulled her mother's phone back up to her ear. "Aunt Harper?" she asked in confusion, "I thought I called Uncle Justin."

"Justin left his phone here by mistake, Leah? Why are you on your mom's phone?"

"She thinks I'm playing Tetris. Please don't tell her I called." she pleaded.

"What's going on, honey?"

"I can't tell you..when will Uncle Justin be back?"

"In a few minutes. Leah you're making me nervous. What's wrong?"

She sank down in the soft chair behind her. "Do you pinkie promise not to tell anyone?"

"That depends; its it safe?"

"Uh huh."

"Is it _legal_?"

She paused. "I _think_ so..well Uncle Justin's supposed to be figuring that out."

Harper sighed. "Okay. Pinkie promise." She bent her right pinkie as if she was actually pinkie promising Leah in person.

Leah did the same. She lowered her voice. "Uncle Justin and I have a plan." she smiled, "And it's gonna work if he gets permission from the Wizard World."

"You are most definitly Alex's."

"What does that mean?"

She laughed. "When we were teenagers, your mom used to have all kinds of crazy schemes and shenanigans that she always dragged me into."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. We went on all sorts of crazy adventures." She smiled and thought back to the simpler time.

"So you'll help?" Leah asked hopefully.

"Of course I have to know the plan first," she informed.

Leah sighed. "You _promise_ you won't tell anyone? Momma, Daddy, Nonna, Poppy, or even Uncle Max?"

Harper smiled. "We already shook pinkies, hun. Spill it." She could tell that Leah wasn't convinced. "Max and Hailey are playing a video game upstairs and you grandparents are at a seminar about why turkey with mold spots causes food poisoning. No one will hear it but me, I promise."

Leah glanced around the room to make sure no one was around. The _last_ thing her family needed right now was more trouble. And one of the twins eavesdropping would be one of the worst possible outcomes. She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Okay, but this conversation _never_ happened, right?"

"You got it, kiddo." Harper smiled.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"Here's your phone, Momma," Leah announced, placing it in her lap. "I got stuck on a level."

"You'll beat it eventually, Lovebug. You always do." Alex smiled, lightly tapping her daugter on the nose. Leah shrugged.

"I..I'm gonna go see what Ink's up to," she told them as she slid out the door.

"Be back in a few," Alex reminded her. Leah nodded and dashed down the hall. Alex held in a huge sigh until she left. Her eyes grew more saddend.

"What's wrong, love?" Mason asked from the couch, sensing her worry.

She threw her head back and closed her eyes, covering her face with her hands. "Mason, do you realize that in one hour, everything we've been fighting for, for seven and a half years now could possibly be gone? Everything we ever dreamed of? Just, gone? Like that?"

"I know that, darling. But try to stay on the positive side."

"How can you _still_ be positive in a time like this?" she asked.

He stood up and took both her hands. "Alex, why was the rule for werewolves and mortals created in the first place?"

"Because apperently the werewolf always ends up eating the mortal." she replied.

"And have I ever hurt you?"

"Of course not."

"Have you ever been afraid I would?"

"Never in a million years, Mason," she told him.

He swung her arms around playfully. "Now if they just saw that, we would be one hundred percent safe." He smiled.

"And what about Leah?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I know for a fact they won't lay a hand on her," he replied. "I could tell by the way Crumbs looked at her on our visiting days. He doesn't want to hurt her." He spun her around without letting go of her hands and pulled her closer, trapping her from behind with her arms crossed over her stomach. "I heard a song that reminded me of a moment like this on the radio the other day," he told her.

"How did it go?" she smiled.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and smiled. _"Don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at things that shine, and life makes love look hard...the stakes are high, the water's rought, but this love is ours.."_ he sang softly in her ear while swaying her to the rhythm.

Alex twitched and giggled as she untangled her arms and spun herself around to face him. "That's actually kind of perfect," she smiled. "How did I get so lucky to find someone like you?"

He intertwined their fingers with a smirk. "I think the _real_ question is how did _I_ get so lucky to find someone as perfect as _you_." Alex smiled and stood on her tip toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his. She could feel him smiling.

The kiss was broken by Alex's phone ringing. They froze, and instantly started to laugh. She picked up her phone. "Hello?...Yeah, we're okay...Huh?...Why? What are you guys up to?...Alright alright, Mr. Bossy. Sheesh...okay I will. Bye." She awkwardly stared at her phone.

"Shortest phone conversation with Justin _ever_." she remarked. "That was weird."

"What did he say?"

She shrugged. "No idea what it's supposed to mean, but he told me to tell Leah: _All systems go_."

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**Alex's POV**

Trial: Take two. This is it. No more re-dos. This is probably one of the scariest moments of my life, because now is when it is decided if my family will stay together. It all comes down to this.

Everything was set up the same way as the first trial, only on our side of the courtroom, two dozen teenage wizard girls were sitting in the back rows. According to Hannah, our story had become a huge hit with the teens. An article written about us titled "True, but Forbidden Love" (by an unknown source) had been sweeping around the World Wide Wiz Web, explaining the whole trial, and touched the hearts of many teenage girls. We had fans. Awesome. Well, the more the merrier. In our case, more people on our side was most definitly merrier.

After waiting silently for what seemed like hours but was only ten minutes, Professor Crumbs finally spoke up.

"The Wizard Council has officially decided on the fate of Leah Greyback." He announced. No one spoke, but I could feel Leah tense up. I squeezed her hand in reassurance. She squeezed back.

"After being observed, interviewed, tested on agility and endurence, and many other types of observations, Leah has turned the judges around. She seems to be a very bright and harmless child, and could very well be one of the most powerful wizards of all time."

"I like where this is going," Mason whispered.

"It would be a shame to do anything to harm this hybrid child. The Wizard Council has decided to spare her life, and she will not be charged. She is innocent."

Leah beamed and gave me an expression of excitement. The whole courtroom applauded. Our daughter basically leaped into my lap, hugging both Mason and I happily. This was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. My baby was finally safe.

After a good five minutes of clapping, Crumbs raised his hammer and silenced the room. "Now, as for the fate of the parents, the council would like to have Alex answer questions."

I awkwardly stood up, not one hundred percent sure what was happening. I stood next to Crumbs as he scanned me over.

"Alex, are you aware of the law broken?" he asked me.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know _why_ the law was established in the first place?"

I breathed heavily. "Yes, sir."

"Were you aware of this when you decided to go against the law?"

I hesitated. I bit my tongue in order to not instantly reply with a snap of sarcasm. "Y-yes, sir."

"Would you mind explaining why exactly you did?"

"Not at all," I replied. I took a deep breath and looked at Mason in the front row. He gave me a small smile in reassurence. "I did it for love."

The girls in the back let out a loud _"Awwwww!"_ Crumbs silenced them and guestured me to go on.

"Well, six years ago, I lost my family's Wizard Competition. But at that point, I didn't want to win to have my powers. Well I did, but that was my number two reason. My number one reason was Mason. Because I knew that the only way we could stay together was by me winning. I tried as best as I could, but I was no match for my brother. After I lost, Mason and I decided that the only way to stay together was to run away, so we did. We ran off in hopes of no one ever finding us again. Then Leah came along. So our lives were perfect." I stopped to take a breath. "Mason has never once tried to hurt me since we left. Or even accidentally hurt me. He has kept me sane and strong. He's the best father, the best husband, and the best friend I could ever have. I'm sorry Professor, but no law can stop fate. People do crazy things when they're in love. But that's how you know it's real." I smiled at my family.

The court room was in complete silence. "So, yeah..." I added with a shrug. And then the claps came. The room bursted into applause, giving me a standing ovation. I blushed with a smile.

Crumbs finally had enough of the shouting and clapping. He hit the hammer on his pedistal. Everyone hushed.

"Thank you. Alex, you seem to have delivered a very good point. I give you props for standing up for your family. So it's going to be awkward when I tell you that the rule hasn't been changed."

My heart sank to the ground. _"What?"_ was the only word I could manage to spill out. The courtroom let out a loud _"BOOOOOOOO!"_

"Pipe down, everyone," he continued. "I'm really sorry, Alex. I really do wish I could help. But unfortunately that law were created centuries before I was a professor. And it is locked by magic even more powerful than my own. I can't change it. I truely am sorry."

I could feel a tear roll down my cheek. I couldn't even look at Mason. My heart had basically shattered on the inside. I wiped the tear and looked over at Leah, who was whispering something to Justin in the row behind her. He nodded and stood up.

"Hey, Alex! Think fast!" He called. Before I could even realize what was going on, Justin had formed a glowing orange sphere in his hands and forced it in my direction. The sphere sank faster than light itself into my chest. I caught my breath. The whole room gasped. I was suddenly levitating a few feet above the ground. Gold glittery smoke coiled around my arms and legs and eventually made its way inside me. I finally dropped back to the ground, landing lightly on my feet.

"Justin! _What did you do?"_ I asked. My brain seemed to be flying in all directions at once. I was getting dizzy. Mason rushed to my side, catching me before I started to faint.

Justin came to the front of the room. He stood before the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the Russo, well or Greyback, uh, anyway the official Family Wizard!"

Then I realized what had happened. "Justin! Why did you do that?"

He gave me a quizzical glance. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I thought being the family wizard meant_ everything_ to you, why would you give it all up? Everything you've ever worked for?"

He rested his hand on my shoulder. "Alex, even though you're married, and have a kid, and actually more of an adult than I am considering the fact that I'm niether of those things, but you're still my baby sister. And I'm not going to have your life ruined just over something like this. I actually should've done this _years _ago, but I was too caught up in the moment of winning that I didn't realize what _really_ mattered. You and Mason, the _real_ magic."

A smile spread across my face. "Justin, I don't know what to say," I said softly, still dizzy from having my brain basically rewired.

"I've got it from here, love," Mason told me. He turned to my brother. "Thank you, Justin. For everything."

Crumbs came towards us. "Alex, you are very lucky to have a brother that cares so much for you that he was willing to give up his life's dream just for your sake."

"Life's dream? Please, I'm also a principal." Justin informed him proudly. I nudged him playfully.

Crumbs turned back to me and Mason. "Well, consider yourselves lucky. I guess fate has a way of working out true love after all. Consider yourselves, _not_ charged."

The whole room bursted into an applause four times as loud as before. I slammed myself into Mason, burying my face in his shoulder and crying happily. He did the same to me. He lifted me off the ground as if I weighted five pounds and spun me in the air, both of us crying from excitement.

"Yeah, baby! It worked!" Leah exclaimed, jumping off her seat and leaping in between us. Mason kissed her on the cheek and lifted her on his shoulders. I took a good look at my beautiful family. Finally, _we were free._

"Congradulations, Miss Russo." Crumbs smiled.

_"GREYBACK!"_ Everyone in the audience corrected.

Crumbs ran his fingers through his beard. "You know, I think I have a way to fix that."

_Stakes are high, _

_the water's rough, _

_but this love is __**ours.**_

**xXx**

**Such a sweet chapter, huh? Stay tuned... :)**

**twitter: ****ShayDenney311**


	29. Penguin

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder**

Epilogue - Penguin

**Author's Note: **If you are reading this from a computer, I strongly suggest opening another tab and playing "Penguin" by Christina Perri. I listened to that over and over again while writing this. But if you're reading this from a phone or iPod, hopefully you know the song. Enjoy! :)

_Love like this may come once,_

_baby it's fate,_

_like a soul mate,_

_he's your penguin,_

_baby it's fate, baby it's fate,_

_not luck..._

Mason smiled proudly as his beautiful daughter froliced gracefully down the isle. She wore a ruffly white knee length dress that gave her a tutu-like skirt, paired with shiny silver cowgirl boots, her choice of course. Two soft pink flowers were braided into her dark curly hair. Her eyes were shinning. She whispered a soft spell as she gently threw the yellow and magenta rose petals out of the basket, magically making them sparkle and twirl gracefully before hitting the ground. Mason chuckled. On an ordinary occasion, they wouldn't have allowed her to use magic without permission; Alex was surprisingly pretty strict about Leah's powers. But this was no ordinary occasion. In fact, it was a very _special_ occasion.

All eyes turned to the back. Mason's heart skipped a beat. There she was. The most most beautiful, wonderful, magical girl he had ever laid eyes on. _His Alex._

Esscorted by her teary-eyed father, Alex smiled modestly as everyone before her gasped. She wore a soft shimery white dress that flowed to the floor liked a princess in a children's story book. The bottom hem was coated in different colored paint splatter, custom made by Harper. It was her best friend's wedding, after all; it had to be Alex-ized.

Not wanting a repeat of the day before's wedding rehearsal _trip_, she gently raised the bottom of her dress, revealing her while rinestone studded converse. Typical Alex. Her hair was mostly down and curled, but the top layer was french braided, similar to Leah's. But instead of flowers, a small shiney tiara was rested in front of the braid. She wasn't all up for that idea, but with Harper and Theresa's persuasion, it tied the whole thing together. Alex was absolutely stunning.

She made her way down the isle, the entire audience gapping and dropping their jaws at her beauty. She looked up at her Jerry, who was smiling with a single tear sliding down his cheek. He kissed the top of her forehead and released her hand as she faced Mason. They entertwined their fingers and smiled like the same lovestruck teens they were before. She looked behind her where her bridesmaids (Hannah and Hailey, with Harper as the maid of honor) were standing. Leah stood holding Harper's hand, smiling proudly at her mother. Behind Mason was Bastian and Max as his groomsmen, and Justin, very honored to be the best man. None of this would've been possible without him, after all. Ink stood next to Justin, holding a white pillow with two rings.

Chancellor Rootie Tootietootie flipped open a tiny booklet. "We are gathered here today," he read monotonously, "To witness the renewed vows of Mason Edmund Greyback and Alexandra Margarita Russo-"

_"Greybeck!"_ Everyone from the audience to the wedding party yelled at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to that!" He scoffed, then muttered, "No need to get your panties in a wad. Anyhoo," he flipped a couple of pages. "Okay, here we go. Do you, Alex take Mason to be your lawful wedded husband, for better or worse, in sickness and in health," His voiced trailed off in Alex's mind. She smiled happily, a single tear escaping her eye. She couldn't help it. All the bad stuff was over now. Her family was finally free.

"...til death do you part?..Again?"

She smiled up into the eyes of her true love. "I do." she said softly.

"Mason, do you take Alex to be-"

"I do." he interrupted, smiling at her. She laughed as Rootie rolled his eyes.

He slammed the book shut. "Alrighty then, I now pronounce you man-wolf and wife-wizard. You may kiss the bride."

Mason smiled. He pulled Alex close and pressed his lips against hers, making the audience whoop and holler.

"Blehh," Leah gagged, covering her eyes. Ink agreed with a "Gross! Ughh!" after sheilding himself. Professor Crumbs, seated in the front row, chuckled at thr kids. He snapped his fingers. A sparkly explosion of fireworks shot into the sky, letting glittery dust fall upon the couple. They broke the kiss and looked into the sky, instantly starting to laugh. Leah squealed with delight clashed in between her parents. Alex laughed and lifted her onto her hip, planting a kiss on her cheek. Mason wrapped his arms around his family as they looked up at the exploding display in the sky.

Not long after, everyone made their way to the food. One table was full of crumpets, cressants, scones, various fruits, and other traditional British food. The other side was loaded with pickles, candy, buscuits, and "loose corn". It was very obvious who decided on what, but the main focus was on the beautiful five layer cake. The icing was a smooth white with yellow, pink, and blue flowers on every layer. It also had faint silver glitter and two penguins holding hands as the topper. The cake was spontainious and random, which fitted perfectly with their relationship.

As Mason and Alex were getting ready to cut the cake, a loud _crash_ came from behind them. Everyone froze.

_ "Yeah that's right! You __**better**__ run, Ignatius Keaton!"_ Leah laughed loudly. Ink dashes across the yard and ducked behind a table, followed by Leah chucking biscuits in his direction.

"Leah Nicole!" Mason called, grabbing her by the waist to keep her from running. "What in the _world_ do you think you're doing?"

"He threw a cupcake at me!" She exclaimed, guesturing to the blue icing on her cheek and neck. A devilish smirk grew on Alex's face. Evil plan commencing in five..four..three..two..

"That doesn't mean-" he scolded.

"Oh, Mason?" Alex interrupted. He turned to answer, but ended up with a fist full of cake smacked into the side of his face. The guests gasped.

Alex clapped her icing coated hands and let out her mocking snicker. Mason laughed casually, digging his hand into the bottom layer and attempting to throw some back at her. She ducked, sending the cake flying into the back of Harper's head. Alex covered her dropped jaw and watched her her best friend dart her eyes. Harper picked up the large serving spoon of corn and flung it in a random direction, landing in the middle of Justin's shirt. Everyone dashed to the food tables.

_"FOOD FIGHT!"_ Alex and Mason cried loudly. Desserts and icing flew in all directions, along with everyone shrieking and laughing. Alex snickered, flinging a pickle into the side of Max's face. It was better than in the movies! She took Mason's hands and leaned in for a kiss. He dodged her by turning his head at the last second, coating her mouth and nose in the icing she had thrown at him to start the war. All she could do was laugh.

"Ladies! Over here!" Theresa called while everyone finnished cleaning themselves up. It was helpful that most of the guests were wizards. Mortals, werewolves, and former wizards: not so much.

"It's time for Alex to throw the boquet!" she continued, guesturing all the girls towards her daughter. Max flashed her a serious glance. Alex gave him a wink, remembering the discussion the had earlier. She turned her back to everyone, closed her eyes, and tossed the boquet into the air. She quickly jerked her want out of the straps of her dress ans zapped the flowers. Harper dove for them, but they zoomed right past her and landed right in Hailey's unexpecting arms. She blushed.

"Rats." Harper muttered, snapping her fingers as she stood back next to Justin. He smiled softly and didn't even hesitate to reach for her hand. Her eyes widened with shock. She gave him a beaming smile, heart pounding inside her chest.

Still surprised by the boquet incident, Hailey felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around to face Max.

"Can I ask you something?" he begged seriously.

"Uh, sure Max." She replied equally as nervous. The boquet fell to the ground as Max got down on one knee.

"Hailey Oliver, from the moment I met you I knew you were special. You saw through all my clueless moments and ignored all of my weird smells. I never in a million years would've thought I would have someone like you one day sometime, if that makes any sense." He nervously opened a tiny blue box, revealing a diamond ring.

"I-I'm not very good at these kinds of things, but, Hailey will you marry me?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. She was speechless. Well, except for three words.

_"Yes,_ you goob!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. The crowd around them aplauded. He lifted her off the ground and spun her in the air.

Caught up in the sweet Hallmark moment, Alex snapped back to Earth when she also felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"May I have this dance, love?" Mason asked, offering her his hand.

She smiled. "Why of _course_ you may," she replied, mimmicking his accent playfully. She curtsied dramatically as he lead her to the dance floor.

_Can you find the time_

_to let your lover love you?_

_He only wants to show you,_

_the things he wants to learn to,_

_the hardest parts, you'll get through,_

_and in the end,_

_you'll have your best friend..._

"This song's about _penguins_!" Leah exclaimed. Alex glanced behind her to find the peas in a pod playing by the speakers.

"Are you my penguin?" Ink asked with a laugh.

"Only if you're _my_ penguin!" Leah laughed, obviously neither of them understood the meaning of the song.

"Remember what you told me about penguins?" Mason asked Alex, snapping her out of her focus on the kids.

"They stay together for the rest of their lives, like soulmates," she smiled. She glanced at the duo, who were waddling around the dance floor, squawking their best penguin impressions. It took her a minute to put two and two together. "Oh my goodness, Mason!" she exclaimed with laughter.

Professor Crumbs walked over to the children. "Leah, I have something for you." he told her. He pulled something shimmery out of his robe and handed it to her. Her eyes lit up as Alex gasped.

She wiped her eyes, "My baby has her first wand." she breathed. She watched as Leah excitedly waved the silver wand around in all directions.

"You really did it this time, love." Mason smiled.

She gave him a quizzical glance. "What do you mean?"

"Look around you. Everything here today is possible because of you. Because you never gave up on us. Our family is safe and our daughter is happy. Justin may have given you his powers, but if it wasn't for your determination and belief in true love, it wouldn't have happened. It's all thanks to you." He kissed the top of her head. "You're amazing, Alexandra."

She dramatically flipped her hair. "Well saving the world not, not twice, but _three times_ might have helped with the 'anything's possible' statement," she laughed. "But I think you and Leah might have had something to do with it."

He glanced into her eyes, getting lost in the dark brown sea. "You definitly saved _my_ world." He smiled.

"You big cheeseball," she laughed and rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music.

_Love like this, is all I want,_

_Baby we're fate,_

_Love like this may come once,_

_Baby we're fate,_

_Like a soulmate,_

_You're my penguin,_

_Baby we're fate..._

Leah dashed to her parent's side.

"Look what Professor Crumbs gave me!" she squealed, proudly displaying her glittering silver wand. Alex glanced at Crumbs. He smiled and winked.

"Here, honey," Alex smiled. "Try this." She slipped the wand into Leah's white cowgirl boot, smiling at the memories. Mason swung her onto his hip, wrapping his arms around both of them.

"I love you guys," Leah smiled, resting her head on Mason's shoulder.

_...baby it's fate, not luck._

**The End.**

Aw, did anyone else get a warm fuzzy feeling during this one? I sure did! Well..all good things must come to an end. _But_, good things come to those who wait. Meaning, yes. I will most likely be doing the sequel. Like I said, you'll have to wait a bit. But I think you might like it. :)

Thank you guys so much. All of your feedback really pushed me to actually finnish this. Did you know that this is the _second_ story I've ever finnished in my whole life? The first was in third grade. It sucked eggs. But especially to those who have stuck with me since before the double-digit chapters. Witnessing the changes of my writing style, toughing it out through my long harsh writer's block moments, and reminding me to update when I forgot completely about it. Thank you so much. This may be just some fanfic to some of you, but it's more to me. It proved that I _am_ a good writer and I _can_ complete a story. This is like a whole chapter of my life that took nearly a year to complete. And who knows? Maybe in a few years, you'll see me again, only with my name on the cover of a bestseller. Only time will tell.

**And if any of you want to have a little fun before I get around to posting a preview of the sequel, leave me any questions about the story, inspiration, writing, anything that you want to know, and I'll post a Q & A. **(my OCD is kicking in and its killing me to leave this at 29 chapters. It HAS to be an even number or multiple of five for some reason) **but review what you thought and a question or two or three or a hundred.**

Thanks, so so so much.

~ Shay Denney.


	30. Preview

_**Alex, Mason, and Leah's lives were set sail on a happily ever after. Two powerful beings enter their lives, and a rocky road lies ahead. The sequel to "ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER" has arrived.**_

**(The title will not be revealed until the Q&A next chapter)**

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Alex settled herself on the edge of the bathroom counter. She figited and squirmed nervously, not one-hundred percent sure what to do. Sure, she had been through it once before, but that time it was out of fear and shock, and it wasn't planned at all. She had only been a month away from nineteen. But that turned out to be the best thing that could ever happen to her. Now, she's twenty-seven. Time to be a big girl. Instead of fear, it was anticipation. For the past two years, everything in her life had been running smoothly. She had no reason to worry.

"Love? Can I come in now?" Mason asked as he paced at the door, trying to cover the shaking of his voice.

_Should I look? Should I let him? Should we find out together? What should I do? _She asked herself. She finally gathered the courage. She lifted her hand and studied the objest rested there. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. A smile spread across her face. She slowly slid open the door.

"Well?" He asked, almost shaking with anticipation. She took his hand, looked into his eyes, and nodded. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him smiling too.

"This is incredible!" He exclaimed. He spun her in a circle by her waist, gently of course. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck.

**Hey guys, really sorry the preview couldn't be longer. But don't worry, it's coming soon :). In the meantime, if you have any questions about AMTHGF, the sequel, or anything you're curious about, please ask. The next chapter uploaded will be a Q&A, where the title will be revealed. Send me a message or leave a review! Or tweet me:**** ShayDenney311**


	31. Author Q & A

**Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder - **_**Author Q&A**_

Your answered questions from reviews, messages, and tweets! Hopefully anything you were wondering I satisfied you. :)

**Q: Do you know how obsessed I am with this fanfic?**

**A:** ...I'm hoping a lot?... :D

**Q: When are you putting up the first chapter of the sequel?**

**A:** Hopefully soon :)

**Q: Is Alex pregnant?**

**A: **maybe... :)

**Q: Are the "two powerful beings" twins?**

**A:** only time will tell..

**Q: Is the sequel taking place after the epilogue?**

**A: **Two years since then. :)

**Q: When did they do "it"? After the trial or?**

**A:** Um..awkward question... O.o I haven't even thought about that...Well the sequal is taking place two years after and they're just finding out...so I'm guessing a little before that? Maybe?

**Q: I love this story, where did you come up with the idea?**

**A: **Aw, I'm glad you like it! :) Well I'm really obsessed with Wizards, and I really wished they'd have shown more Malex scenes in the show, so this was kind of how I invisioned them a few years down the road. And apparently a lot of people liked it. Thus equalled the birth of AMTHGF! :)

Oh, and Fun Fact: The story was originally supposed to end at the first trial, when Justin gives Alex his powers, and then I got the idea of Ink. So this could've easily been like, 20 chapters. Lucky you :)

**Q: Where did you come up with Leah and Ink's full names?**

**A:** _Leah _- one of my favorite girls' names. It's unique and adorable, so I thought it was a good name for Alex's daughter. _Nicole_ - my middle name. _Greyback_ - well obviously, haha.

Well, as for Ink. _Ignatius _- I was watching "A Year Without A Santa Clause", even though it was like, June. :) _Nico_ - character in the Percy Jackson series. I love those books. _Keaton_ - my little brother's name.

**Q: Are Leah and Ink ever going to end up together?**

**A:** Hmm..good question.. I actually wasn't expecting so many "Link" shippers as that evolved. But they would be cute. Well currently they're best friends, but maybe one day.. :)

**Q: How old are you? Just curious :)**

**A: **I'll be sixteen in March. Crazy that I started this almost exactly a year ago, right? :)

**Q: Do you have a favorite chapter? And why?**

**A: **I like "We're Not That Different" because it's really cute and sweet, and one of my favorite songs of all time, but the Epilogue would have to be my favorite, because it took me literally a month to write. It took so long because I kept putting it off since it was the last one and I didn't want it to end. I cried after I posted it. Your reactions to the ending had me so emotional. You're all so amazing. :)

**Q: Do you have any other writing plans?**

**A:** Fanfic wise? The sequel, obviously :) Otherwise? Well, actually...I have a novel that I'm working on.. It's a little different than the stuff I'm used to writing, but I'm really excited about it. No idea if it'll ever be published or anything, but who knows? Just remember my name. :) because you guys are the ones who pushed my to finnish this. With all of your sweet messages and reviews, you gave me the confidence that my stories _are_ good enough to make it. So thank y'all, so much. :)

**Q: Did you like how the REAL ending of Wizards turned out?**

**A: **I was so shocked! I was actually rooting for Max, but how happy he was when he got the sub shop made it better. I'm overly happy that Alex and Mason can stay together though :) I was so emotional throughout the whole episode it was rediculous. I'm still in denial that it's over.

_**and the question you've all been waiting for...**_

**What is the title of the Sequel?**

Y'all ready?

Are you sure?

Are you _really_ sure?

Are you so sure that you're about ready to punch me in the throat because I'm keeping it from you?

Do you really want to know?

Can you handle it?

The title is...one of those options above you.

Which is it?

Do you think you know which one?

I'm just messing with you. That's not the title.

_**This Love is Ours.**_

Well, until next time... _"Later, losers!"_

Haha I love you guys. :) Thank you so much for everything. Hope you're ready to find out what's coming up next! It'll be coming your way within the next two weeks. Virtual hugs to all! :)

~ Shay.


	32. Update on the Sequel!

**Just an update on the Sequel: This Love is Ours-**

Holy cow you guys, I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU. I swear. I'm so so so so so deeply sorry for postponing the sequel, because I know you are all so eager to find out what happens with Alex, Mason, and Leah. I AM working on it. I've just been so crammed lately. I'm going through a lot right now.. I'm in high school, plus stress, family problems, other personal problems, writer's block, not to mention I'm attempting to write a story on my own that I hope to get published after I finish (but who knows when that will be?), so I've been super busy lately that I can't even sleep half the time. But that's my fault, not yours. You all have been so kind and patient so it's killing me NOT to update, but would you rather me jot down the first thing to come to mind or actually take the time to make it worth reading?

Plus, a lot of the time I could of used for writing was spent on cramming for the graduation exams, but now that those are over things will slow down gradually and I'll have more time to work on it. So, do you think y'all could be patient for just a teeny tiny bit longer? _I promise_ I'm working on it. You guys only deserve the best, after all. :)

Thank you for understanding, I love you guys. :)

Shay.

_**What I'm up to: **_**Twitter - ShayDenney311**

_**Why I love Selena Gomez: **_**2nd Twitter - xGomezRainbow**

_**What's really going on in my world: **_**Tumblr - .com**


	33. Guess what

**Guess what...**

**THIS LOVE IS OURS (sequel) IS UP NOW! YAY!**

**Just letting y'all know. You may proceed in happy dancing and screaming and diving into your computer chair to read it. Enjoy! Hope you like it! :)**

**- Shay.**


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